Accidental Beginnings
by Antay
Summary: After a topsy-turvy beginning of two teens' love affair in Designated Things this sequel follows them into adulthood.This isn't high school anymore; its ten years later. Can Ororo forgive Remy? Can he convince her that he's the one she really wants?
1. Chapter 1

_Designated Things_ Epilogue/_Accidental Beginnings_ Prologue

A/N: I've always intended for the epilogue of _Designated Things _to be the Prologue to its sequel. However, this site does not allow double entries of the same document in different stories. I being a stickler for rules that I am wouldn't dream of breaking any. Heck, after reviewing the rules I'm thinking that I'll need to change _DT_ from "T" to "M". Anyway, Chapter One of _Accidental Beginnings _immediately follows.

Oh and again…No Beta. Sorry. Please excuse minor mistakes. However if it's just ridiculous let a girl know! Thank you.

* * *

Summary: After a topsy-turvy beginning of two teens' love affair in _Designated Things_ this sequel follows them into adulthood. Obstacles abound this couple. This isn't high school anymore; its ten years later. Can Ororo forgive Remy for the pain he caused her? Can Remy convince her that she still wants him?

*Mon frère (my brother), Mon Dieu (My God)

* * *

Prologue

"You look gorgeous as usual," Jean said as she walked up behind Ororo who was filling the last few seconds before the ceremony began to wrangle in stray strands of her platinum locks. How they'd freed themselves from their prison of hair spitz she did not know.

"Thank you. And I must say, you don't look too shabby yourself," she replied turning to give Jean a good once over to make sure that she too was perfect.

Jean reached out taking one of Ororo's hands in her own as she sighed and smiled at her dearest friend. "I didn't think this day would ever come."

"You didn't?" Ororo guffawed, "Are you kidding me? This day was going to get here if I had to drag that man down the aisle."

The two friends' laughter filled the small room. They both knew that this event had been postponed long enough. People were beginning to speculate that it would never take place after the fifth year in what turned out to be a ten year engagement had passed.

On the rare occasions they would be able to see each other with Ororo living in New York and Jean in Boston it was always a rush to get back to their lives in their respective cities. However, today they were back in New Orleans, the town where they met and became fast friends celebrating a long overdue wedding.

"Are you going to be able to get through this?" Jean asked gingerly after their laughter resigned to small amused chuckles.

Ororo nodded. "Let's do it."

* * *

Remy pulled anxiously at the too tight collar of his tuxedo. It was fall and the weather was cooling down however he was using a great deal of concentration in an effort to calm himself to keep the sweating at bay. The last thing he would need was for the bride to have wedding pictures of his pit stains.

"Stop pulling. We're about to start and the videographer is already taping," Scott chided from beside him.

"I apologize, mon frère, but I'm slowly being strangled."

"Yes. I'm sure that's where your agitation is coming from," Scott tried not to roll his eyes at the lame excuse but he knew what Remy was going through and didn't want to make his day more complicated. Remy was already doing him an enormous favor that hopefully he'd be able to somehow repay.

* * *

The soft sounds of a cello silenced the chatter of the attending guest and everyone watched the door in anticipation of what was sure to be a beautiful bride. Ororo stepped through the door and focused on the holy man standing in front of her. If she could just make it to him she'd be okay.

Remy's heart tightened in his chest. She was beautiful. He didn't know how he'd react once he finally had the opportunity to lay eyes on her. With each step she took towards him his barely there resolve slowly began to crumble. _Mon Dieu, she's beautiful. _She would always be the one he wanted.

As Ororo approached the altar she tried hard not to look in Remy's directions but the steady gaze of those dark eyes of his bore into her. She felt them willing her to look at him. She finally gave in once she reached the altar and had taken her spot. At that moment all of their history rushed back into her mind. The first time she'd ever laid eyes on him in Mr. Xavier's math class, their first kiss that chilly night downtown, the first time they'd made love and all the trouble that followed, their time in Paris where they were engaged, and finally their unavoidable break-up.

She wasn't going to let that last bitter memory ruin Jean and Scott's day.

* * *

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter One

Ororo's determination to ignore Remy and her own scattered thoughts eclipsed the words expressed by the priest of what love and marriage really is and should mean. She focused on Jean's happy smile and Scott's look of concentrated love as he took in his beaming bride.

This moment had been a long time in the making. Between Scott's overly zealous sensibility and careful nature in addition to Jean's meticulous planning their nuptials were thought to be only a myth. Everyone had heard about it but there was never any evidence to support the claim until a few weeks ago when the invitations were mailed.

Ororo endured many inquiries from various people including her curious parents and even Logan, one of their very best friends. Logan knew that Scott had a "stick up his ass" as he called it but even he couldn't believe how much time had gone by without even a date being set. Ororo assured everyone that the couple was only making sure they'd be established in their careers and financially stable before taking such a life altering step. They were being mature, something she'd wished she'd done so long ago…

Ororo was snapped out of her musing once the cello's lively processional song began. She smiled brightly when Jean turned and gave her a big hug before taking her bouquet.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Summers."

"Oh my God! I'm finally Mrs. Summers," Jean squealed.

Scott looked both happy and relieved as he and his bride turned toward the audience and was announced as Mr. Scott Summers and Mrs. Jean Grey-Summers. The applause was thunderous. The waiting was finally over. There were catcalls and whistles as the couple began to make their way down the aisle.

Ororo was about to follow until she had a sudden realization. Everything had happened so fast in the last few hours she'd completely forgotten that she'd have to exit with the best man…Remy. He'd stepped in to fill the role of best man. Scott's younger brother, Alex, flight out of Brazil where he'd been working had been cancelled. Even though he'd been absent from the rehearsal the previous night forcing Ororo to walk alone on her exit out of the quaint chapel everyone hoped he'd be able to make it to the actual ceremony. No such luck.

Jean tried to be understanding even though she wanted to kill both her betrothed and her soon to be brother-in-law. She'd asked Scott repeatedly to have Alex arrive at least a week early. Alex's job as a geologist took him to very remote places and flights were frequently cancelled. He'd missed three of the last five major holidays because of it. She had other things besides Alex to worry about like the seating arrangement at the reception and late RSVPers.

Alas, Scott needed a new best man. Remy wasn't Scott's first choice. He'd rather have had a college friend or a co-worker stand in. Unfortunately for him, Remy was the only person readily available that came close to Alex's tux measurements. Having him standing next to him on his wedding day had to have been a bad omen of some sort. Remy was the most unlucky in love he'd ever come across. But Scott knew that Jean wasn't going to go for a best man in a random suit messing up their wedding DVDs and photos.

Ororo stood frozen for the briefest of moments until Remy stepped towards her. The autopilot controlling her movements kicked in and forced her legs to make long purposeful strides even though her mind was about a half a pace behind. It had been so long since she'd been this close to him. She'd avoided him or on the rare occasions when they were in the same vicinity she'd managed to always be on the other side of where ever they happened to be. She hadn't had any interaction with him since their split nine years ago.

She felt his hand on the small of her back and struggled not to snatch away. Instead she quickened her pace in an effort to get away from him. She could smell his cologne and mentally kicked herself for noticing that it wasn't the same scent he used to wear. She didn't want to smell him and she definitely didn't want to feel his touch. The sooner she could get away, the better.

* * *

The estate grounds were large but not large enough for Ororo not to feel as if the place was closing in on her. She hadn't been here in years. She wished she wasn't now despite the happy occasion.

Jean offered to have her reception somewhere else but Ororo knew the offer was too good to pass up. Years ago when Jean first decided that she and Scott would marry Jean-Luc jokingly said he'd host and pay for Jean's reception. Years later he made sure his promise was fulfilled much to Scott's annoyance who mostly viewed it as a handout instead of a gift. Jean happily accepted the offering from the man that had done so much for her just because his son called her "friend".

The setting was perfect. Mature gardens and trees were the ideal backdrop for the outdoor reception. Guest strolled among the meandering paths admiring their surroundings. The colors of the trees were just beginning to change and there was just enough chill in the air to make it pleasant.

Ororo stood in the distance watching the guest greet and congratulate the newly married couple. She was hoping to spot her parents soon and maybe some of her tension and awkwardness gripping her would wane. Maybe if she hadn't come alone she wouldn't feel so…so vulnerable.

Servers with champagne began to stream from the direction of the little guest home that Ororo knew was just around the bend. This place was hauntingly familiar. She remembered the guest house all too well. That was where she and Remy shared their private prom together. She didn't only have that one memory, they'd also spent many holidays and breaks playing house there during their first years of college. Jean-Luc once jokingly said he was going to give it its own address.

A shock of white hair caught Ororo's attention. _Finally. _Her mother's hair like her own could be spotted from anywhere.

"Boo!"

Ororo, lost in her own thoughts failed to see the little boy peeking at her from beside the hedge.

"Oh my! You scared me!" she gasped lightly touching her chest.

Normally she didn't like people sneaking up on her the way he did but the boy's toothy grin was too adorable for her to hold any animosity against the little tike.

"Yeah, I know! I'm the best at sneaking," he announced as he stood.

"You sure are," Ororo smiled back.

"I've seen you before."

"You have? At the wedding?"

"Uh-huh…I mean, yes ma'am," correcting his bad manners "and at my house."

Ororo's brows furrowed as she tried to remember the child.

"Papa has pictures of you."

_Papa…_

Realization suddenly dawned on her and the boy began to look familiar to her. He looked just like his father, except his hair was a lighter shade of auburn that no doubt would darken with age, yet those dark eyes were there and the same lips.

"Oh…," she murmured, "you're Remy's son."

"Yes ma'am. My name is Etienne Philippe LeBeau. What's yours?" he asked as he reached for her hand. Absently, she took the child's soft hand into her own.

"Um…," Ororo's words wouldn't come to her. This is Remy's son. She'd known about him but she'd never laid eyes on him before. The boy standing in front of her looked to be about seven or eight years old. Through her muddled thoughts she realized the child would indeed be about this age. It's funny how the brain works. She'd always just thought of him as a baby because that's when she was first aware of his existence. When Remy had told her of him he was only a few weeks old.

"Etienne…," Remy's hesitant voice cut through the fog of Ororo's thoughts and she turned to face him.

"Papa!" the boy announced releasing her hand as he moved towards his father. "This is the pretty lady in the pictures!"

Remy didn't take his eyes off of Ororo as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yes it is, son."

_Son._

"I scared her a lil' bit but she didn't yell at me so its okay."

"Non, Etienne, I've told you that sneaking up on people is not nice. Please apologize to Ms. Monroe," Remy said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Monroe," he mumbled looking a bit dejected and embarrassed.

Ororo looked down at the boy then back at Remy…really looking at him. He was a father. He sounded like a father and he even looked like a father, standing there with his son. Gone was the messy haired twenty something she once knew. Instead there was a man with a neat haircut and manicured nails.

"It's…it's all right."

"See Papa, its okay. She didn't mind."

"No it isn't. We'll discuss this later. Now go find Jake. He's been looking all over for you."

"Yes, Papa!"

Ororo felt a bit guilty at the mention of Jake. She had multiple framed pictures of Logan's first born and even quite a few of his younger sister. Yet she didn't even know this beautiful child's name. Everyone had been very careful not to mention Remy or anything Remy related around her.

"That was Etienne," Remy motioned in the direction of the departing boy.

"Yes, your son."

"Oui, Cherie, my son."

Ororo took in and released a cleansing breath before speaking. "He's gorgeous."

"Oui, merci…thank you."

The two ex-lovers stood on the fringe of the gathering. The buzzing activity around them was drowned out by the deafening silence that hung between them.

Remy took an opportunity to really look at her. She hadn't given him any opportunities to do so before now. She'd changed slightly from the way he remembered. Those eyes of hers were still startling blue. He could tell her hair was much longer if the bulk of her up do was an indicator. Her face was more slender and her body just a tad bit more muscular. She still looked soft though, just stronger, while managing to somehow appear more womanly and curvaceous. She'd obviously been taking care of herself.

He took a careful step towards her. The fact that she hadn't walked away yet was a good sign. Maybe she'd listen to him. He didn't know what to say. There was no way pleading his case a decade later would make anything different. Did he still want to try to plead his case…to make her understand when he'd failed so miserably before?

"Ro, I know I made a mistake but…"

"No! Remy please, let's not do this again. We ended a long time ago and I don't want to rehash the past. Everything has been said."

"Cherie…please."

She put her hands up in a halting position. "No. We have our own lives now."

With that Ororo went to find her parents leaving Remy standing there with no one to blame but himself. So much had happened between them. They'd gone through so much to be together and when they finally were everything went to hell.

Remy had made plenty of mistakes in the past. He still made them on occasion now. Unfortunately the one he made with her affected not only his life but hers and multiple others. As the years passed he realized that he'd do it the same all over again. His only regret is not being honest.

Jean-Luc would be proud that his son had finally grown up and accepted his responsibilities tackling them head on. But Jean-Luc wasn't there…

His death was the spark that ignited the whole chain of events.

* * *

A/N: OH! I'm really working hard on being consistent with my verb tense! I don't know why but I have major issues with that. I even took a writing class a few months back to try to correct the problem…um…I don't think it worked. Lol I'm constantly questioning if it's correct or not…


	2. Chapter 2

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Two

A/N: First, I apologize for the delay in this chapter. It was as if my life decided to go on a roller coaster ride as soon as I posted the first chapter of this story. Fortunately things are mostly back to normal now and I'm about half way finished with the next chapter. Just need to flesh it out a bit. Second, but most of all thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the love. Once I get back into the groove of things I'll start updating my homepage to respond to the reviews.

Once again, I have no beta. If there are glaring mistakes please let me know. I'd greatly appreciate it.

* * *

The sun set hours ago on the festive reception. Light from the full moon filtered through the large oak trees to aid the artificial lights that shone on the only couple remaining. Logan and Mariko were taking advantage of the record the DJ was so graciously playing as he broke down his equipment. The wait staff and set up crew paid no attention to the dancing couple as they busied themselves with cleaning, breaking down tables and stacking chairs.

Scott and Jean had long gone, off to Turks and Caicos for a month long honeymoon. Most people that weren't close to the couple thought it was an extreme length of time compared to most one week getaways. Remy, however, was close to them and he knew that if it were him he'd most likely do the same. But it wasn't him and most likely would never be.

Instead Remy sat watching his friends' slow dance as they enjoyed the soft music. He watched them trade intimate whispers in the other's ear and listened to their soft laughter. Even though he loved them he also envied them. He once had what they had but somehow managed to throw it away.

He'd danced with Ororo many nights holding her tightly. If he closed his eyes and concentrated he could almost feel her in his arms. Seeing her earlier only brought back those sweet memories and with them the dull agony of regrets.

He wondered if she and Jean had chosen her dress just to torture him. The dress dipped and clung to where it should have and it's subtle shimmer of the cream material made him long to touch her mocha skin. Alas, he knew that would never be. She'd made that painfully clear on the day he was served with divorce papers.

Remy didn't notice when the music stopped. Mariko's teeter of laughter drew him from his thoughts. He tried to smile as the couple approached him but it looked more like a sad clown's painted imitation.

"Why the long face, Gumbo? You should be jumping for joy now that you don't have to deal with Jean anymore."

"Mon Dieu," Remy chuckled.

Jean-Luc's Last Will and Testament was air-tight, no con artist or money grubbing lawyer would be able to take advantage of his estate. He'd left very specific instructions and left no detail unexplained except for one thing. When it came down to the execution of Jean's reception it only read, "Whatever she wants."

When the time came Remy tried to work with the crazy redhead himself but quickly realized that his stress tolerance could only go so high. Remy hired an assistant that was to take Jean's calls exclusively. The poor woman wanted to quit after the first week but a handsome bonus encouraged her to stay on. He'd have to remember to send her on a month long vacation too.

"And you're sure it's okay that Jakey stay the night?" Mariko asked.

"It will be my pleasure. Etienne is always at your place. It will be good to have Jake here for a change," Remy replied.

"We love Etienne, you know that; but it's not that often I get my husband to myself. So I'm taking full advantage of Jake being here and little Amiko staying with her grandparents."

Mariko gave Logan a saucy smile that he gladly returned.

Remy slowly nodded and sighed. _Must be nice._

Logan scrutinized Remy's face as he spoke and easily realized his friend was in another one of his "moods" as he and Jean referred to their friend's sadness that would sometimes overcome him. The moods came on less frequently in the last few years but they were still there. They both knew why. Ororo.

"Babe, why don't you go check on the boys before we go," Logan suggested to Mariko. "We'll be there in a few."

After Mariko was out of earshot Logan sat down and looked at his friend, "Did you talk to her?"

"Oui."

Logan crossed his arm and let out a gruff breath of air.

"Well, that's something," Logan said.

"Not really. She still hate ol' Remy."

"What did ya expect? "

"She not ever gonna forgive me, is she?" Remy asked.

"Nope."

Remy was hoping Logan would lie to him. But he knew that wasn't his friend's way.

"But if you would have asked me this morning if she'd say two words to you, I would have said no…shows how much I know."

"Well, she talked about how she didn't want to talk. Does that count, homme?"

Logan pondered the question, thinking about all that had happened between the two before he answered.

"Yeah, it does. I know Ro. I mean the _real _Ro. The woman she is today ain't her. You hurt her real bad. She's still hurting. So are you, bub."

Logan waited for Remy to say something. He didn't. Instead he just sat there. His hands folded in his lap, staring down at his outstretched legs. Absently he noticed his shoes were dusty.

"It don't make no sense for both of ya to be like this when it's the both of ya that can fix it," Logan said finally.

"It's not that easy," Remy replied, his eyes still on his shoes.

"Of course it ain't. It shouldn't be. You messed up. Now look at ya…from one woman's bed to another. All these girls ain't gonna replace Ro."

"I know that!" Remy said angrily daring a look at his friend. Logan pointing out the obvious wasn't something he needed to hear.

"Look, friend, All I'm saying is ya boy ain't gonna be oblivious forever. You need to try to move on and settle down some. Stop all this pining for Ro or try harder to get her back," Logan said.

"She hate me."

"Hell, bub, after what ya did I almost hated ya!" Logan stood, grabbing Mariko's clutch and his jacket. He walked around the table and put his hand on Remy's shoulders. "But I didn't. She don't hate you either even if she don't know it yet."

"Thank you, brother."

Logan gave Remy a firm pat on the shoulder then headed into the house in search of his wife.

* * *

Remy was left alone with his thoughts. He'd gone over the events of all that happened what seems like forever ago so many times in his head he wondered if he should even waste his time thinking about it now. Maybe he should just stop pining over lost love and move on like Logan said.

He wasn't getting any younger and bedding different women wasn't who he really was. They just made him feel not so lonely for a little while. But once they were gone the emptiness would always come back.

Then there was Etienne. What kind of example would he be setting for his boy? His parents would have been so disappointed at his half ass efforts to do right by his own. Etienne did need a mother. Most importantly the boy _wanted _a mother. He'd started to ask more frequent questions since starting school, wanting to know where his mother is and why didn't she want to be with him. Those questions broke his heart.

Remy didn't have a hard time making Etienne understand that he and his mother weren't together. The child was well aware of single parents and how divorce worked from talking to classmates. What Remy couldn't explain to Etienne was that his mother was unreliable and unpredictable.

She hadn't bothered to see him in the last three years. That didn't really bother Remy too much. Her lifestyle was dangerous to say the least. She was a pill popper with an ability to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it came to men.

Telling his son that his time with his mother was a onetime thing and that he never loved her was too much information. But above all he'd never tell him that it was a mistake. Instead Remy gently told his son that babies were a lot of responsibility and take a lot of work and his mother just wasn't ready for that. Etienne did not need to know that his mother had signed her rights to him away a few months after he'd taken custody of him…not yet.

Ororo didn't understand and neither would Etienne.

Remy closed his eyes and continued thinking. Thinking back…

Ten Years ago:

Remy was a sophomore enrolled in Georgia Tech's Architecture program and life was great. His grades were well above average. He was in love with and engaged to a beautiful woman that he was hoping to surprise for a romantic weekend in New York for her twentieth birthday.

He'd just finished his last class of the day when he finally had an opportunity to check the voicemail on his cell phone. He was almost to his dorm when the recorded voice of his father's housekeeper came through the receiver. At first he was confused as to why she would be calling him. His confusion turned into panic hearing the frantic message requesting that he call home immediately. Whatever it was, it wasn't good news.

The next several hours were a blur. He never would have guessed when he awoke that morning he'd be sitting in a hospital room with a doctor telling him that he needed to make a life ending decision. He didn't even remember his record time drive back to New Orleans. He was supposed to be at the airport right now waiting to board his flight to see Ororo.

He hadn't even talked to her yet, only a text to her asking her to call him as soon as possible. He wasn't surprised he wasn't able to reach her. Between school, studying, and work they were lucky to speak for a few minutes every other day. But he really needed to hear her voice now. He needed the strength that she gave him. She always made him feel like everything was going to be all right.

"How are you, Mr. LeBeau?" the attending doctor asked.

"Not too good," Remy answered almost inaudible.

"I can imagine. Take your time deciding."

"You already said there's nothing you can do for him," Remy glanced at Jean-Luc's prone form. "He just alive cause of your machines. What am I deciding?"

"Well, you can leave him on life support, to keep his heart beating and blood circulating. But you have to understand that he's not going to wake up. He had a massive hemorrhage at the base of his brain. It bled out."

"He's brain dead," Remy summed up.

"Yes."

The quiet that overtook the room was stifling. The doctor staring down at him was silently screaming at him to give the order to turn off the machines. Remy knew that was probably the right thing to do. His papa wouldn't want to _live_ this way but he just couldn't do it.

"I can't," Remy choked out as he held his sobs in check. "I just can't."

At that moment a familiar voice echoed through the silence. "Remy? Son? I came as soon as I could."

Remy looked up to find the man that he affectionately called uncle, Marius Boudreaux, Jean-Luc's longtime friend and lawyer enter the room. Remy hadn't even thought to call him but he was sure that word was quickly spreading around town. His father was a beloved community member as well as a respected businessman.

Remy only nodded in acknowledgement to the man he'd known since he'd first moved into the LeBeau residence.

Remy noticed that Marius didn't dare to glance at his father. Instead Marius focused on the doctor standing between them. He imagined it must be hard for him too. He and Jean-Luc were one of the same molds. It would sometimes cause the two strong willed men to bump heads in their youth but they both grew to equally respect the other. Their families had shared many outings. His daughter, Bella Donna, was Remy's first real kiss.

"Doctor, may I speak to you outside?" Marius asked as he headed back out of the room's door not bothering to wait for the doctor to answer. He was the type of man that didn't wait for answers.

Remy vaguely noticed the attaché case in Marius' hand when the two exited but didn't realize what they were until they'd returned some minutes later.

Marius stood over Remy's seated form and gently placed his hand on the younger man's back as he began to softly speak, "Remy, Jean-Luc has a living will. Your papa gave me power of attorney over his healthcare. Do you understand son?"

Remy shook his head. No, he didn't.

Marius went on, "In the case that your father is incapacitated and cannot make his own medical decision I am designated to do so."

Remy nodded. His head in his hands and eyes shut tight.

"…to adhere to his wishes," he continued. "And Jean-Luc doesn't want this."

Remy's barely there control vanished and the sobs escaped him before he could stop them. He knew what Marius said was the truth. His papa wouldn't want to be that way.

"Remy, I won't do anything until you're ready. You hear me son?"

Remy nodded. He'd never be ready.

"Do as Papa wish," he finally said.

Remy sat in the entrance of the hospital waiting for the car Marius had requested to pick him up.

It had been a long painful night. As the sun broke daylight Jean-Luc took his last breath. Remy hadn't looked at his watch. He didn't want to remember the time.

This felt different than when his mother had passed away. It hurt differently. He hadn't been there when she died. He didn't watch and listen to her desperately gasp for air as his father had. He didn't feel the chill of Death as it entered the room. Or experience the emptiness after it was gone.

Death had taken another. He had almost no one left, no one but Camille, the woman that had taken care of him while he was little until she couldn't anymore and her granddaughter Ginny. And of course there was Ororo.

_Ororo_. He looked at his phone. Still no call. _Where was she? Why hasn't she called? _In a way he was kind of glad she hadn't. He didn't know if he could voice all that had happened.

His fingers deliberately pressed the buttons redialing her number. He felt as if he were moving in slow motion. An automated voice began speaking to him before he could get the phone up to his ear. Again no answer.

"Remy?" a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

A pretty blue eyed blond stood in front of him smiling sadly.

"Bella," He stated as he ended the call without leaving a message.

"Daddy asked me to take you home," she said.

He nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Three

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. As always, I have no beta. Pointing out glaring mistakes would be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Remy wasn't surprised to see Bella standing in the corridor. She was an infrequent constant in his life. He was never really disappointed when she'd show up and never actually surprised when she did not.

He noted that she'd gained weight and looked much healthier since the last time he'd seen her six months ago when her disheveled appearance and antics embarrassed the hell out of Marius at his fiftieth birthday celebration. She'd barely acknowledged his presence then which was nothing new. Her focus was on her rapidly fading high and her next fix.

Today her clothes were clean and actually fit. The soft yellow of her camisole actually matched the khaki capri shorts. A healthy rosy complexion and soft smile greeted him instead of the sunken cheekbones and cloudy eyes he last recalled.

Even though he'd known her for years he'd never really considered her a friend. She was older than him by almost two years. She only acknowledged him when her presence was absolutely required when their families were together.

The boyish crush he held for her faded and eventually disappeared once he realized she was a bitchy, selfish, brat. Bella was more interested in her friends and having a good time, everything and everyone else be damned. She'd rebelled against anything considered high society or traditional. On more than one occasion Remy had heard their mothers' talking about the girl's out of control conduct. Usually the reoccurring theme would be of late night outings, drinking and various boys.

Bella wasn't afraid of sex. She'd been the one to school Remy in some of the dirtier details of the act, mostly in word but there was some deed to accompany the lessons. Even though his crush was no longer there he still found her heart shaped face and rosy lips attractive. Always being one to try new things he wasn't going to pass up the opportunities she presented to him when their parents would instruct them to "go play."

His encounters with her made him cocky and confident when it came to women. By the time he was fourteen he'd already surpassed the majority of his male peers in experience. She'd gladly let him get to third base before he ended it there, sometimes to her utter dismay.

The sessions would usually end with her calling him a tease. The name calling didn't faze Remy though, he knew she was using him for whatever reason her adolescent mind could conjure. At that time he didn't mind, he was using her too.

* * *

Now Remy sat in the passenger's seat of her small car in front of his door. He absently thought the ride from the hospital hadn't taken as long as it usually did. He didn't want to go in. At that moment it seemed that Bella, the girl now woman that he'd never even had a meaningful conversation with, was his only friend. Ororo still hadn't returned any of his calls or texts. Jean was on the east coast living in a dorm full of girls. It was never easy to get her on the phone. Logan should have been home from his honeymoon but he didn't want to disturb him and his new wife. So there was Bella…

Bella was seeing the world clearly for the first time in a long while and it pained Bella to see Remy so sad. She couldn't imagine losing her daddy even though she acted as if she hated him most of the time. She and Marius had their problem, but truth be told she still loved him very much. She'd always loved him. Perhaps too much but he never had time for her. She tried everything she could to get her daddy's attention but she may as well been invisible.

Marius was of the opinion that a girl child only really needed her mother. He was more involved with her older brothers. It was his wife's responsibility to raise a respectable girl. He'd only step in when she'd misbehaved. And misbehave she did, her animosity towards him growing with each of his reprimands then dismissals. She'd do everything she could to not be what he wanted her to be.

Inevitably that kind of behavior not only hurt the intended victim but the perpetrator as well. The "Please, Daddy, love me," routine had cost her more than she could ever imagine. Bella was fresh out of her third stint in rehab and she was only twenty-three years old.

"You want to go to Daddy's?" Bella asked.

"Non."

"You want to go to my place?" she asked.

"Non."

She sighed. "I'll come in with you."

Remy finally looked at her. He didn't want to be alone.

"Oui," he nodded.

She smiled softly.

"Okay," she said as she opened her car door and got out.

Remy followed suit. They slammed the car door almost simultaneously. The sound of the slamming doors had gotten the attention of the housekeeper who opened the door before the two could make it all the way up the front steps.

"Master LeBeau, I'm so, so sorry," Bernadette said as tears filled her sleep deprived eyes.

"I know," Remy said. He hugged her briefly not wanting to hold on too long. He knew if he did he wouldn't want to let go.

The door to Jean-Luc's study was open. The papers he'd been working on were still on the desk. Like he'd just stepped out and he'd be back to finish them in a few minutes. But he wouldn't.

Remy knew that his father had been in the study when he'd had his stroke. Ordinarily Remy wouldn't have noticed the pen that lay innocently on the floor next to the large mahogany desk or the telephone being a half inch from its usual spot, but today he did.

Remy took in the scene; his grief once again flooded his fragile frame of mind. His long legs quickly carried him up the stairs to his old room.

Bella followed silently. She didn't have to keep up. She remembered where Remy's room was.

She found him standing in the middle of his room, one hand roughly wiping at his eyes as he cradled himself with the other. She'd never seen a grown man cry. She never even remembered hearing Remy cry when they were children…not even when his mother died.

She didn't know what to do but knew she should do something. She dropped her keys and purse on the floor after closing the door and walked to Remy putting her arms around him and laid her head on his back.

"You should lie down, Remy. I know you're tired."

He didn't move. He didn't say anything. It was if she wasn't there.

"Remy? You hear me?" she asked as she circled in front of him. "Let's lay down. I'll lay down with you. Okay?"

He probably would have stood there all day if she hadn't have gotten him moving. Any direction she pulled him he followed. A few gentle nudges lay him in his bed. She'd never seen someone seem so helpless. Sure she'd seen people messed up from being high. She'd been that way many times but this was different. She knew everything she did was because of her own choices. Most of the things that had happened to Remy during his life weren't in his control.

She lay next to him; her head cradled against his shoulder and listened to his deep controlled breaths. His eyes covered by his forearm. The other hand rested on his stomach. She took that hand in hers and squeezed it trying to reassure him as best she could. She felt a bit better about her actions when he squeezed her hand back.

Bella was at a loss of what to do. She didn't know what to say. She did the only thing a man had ever wanted her to do…sitting up she leaned over and gently kissed a falling tear. Remy didn't respond. She gently pulled his arm away from his face then leaned over and kissed his lips. When she looked to his face she was relieved to see he'd opened his eyes.

She bent to kiss him again but his voice halted her actions.

"No," Remy breathe.

"You're hurting. Let me help you…just a little," she said softly.

Remy slowly shook his head. As he did more tears ran from his eyes.

Bella understood and began to climb out of his bed but was surprised when she felt his hand on her arm pulling her back.

When Bella drew away from him he immediately missed the warmth and comfort of her body. He felt cold and alone. Remy was hurting and her kisses were so gentle and caring. He just wanted the hurting to stop…for a little while. He'd always stopped things with her when they were younger before they'd gone too far. He could do it again.

He closed his eyes and let Bella straddle his thighs. Her touches and kisses comforted and numbed wounded soul. His mind was detached from his body. He was watching himself through a hazy window. He watched his hands touch her and felt his lips kiss her through his muddled brain. There was no emotion or thought in his actions, just movement and obvious responses.

Bella felt his hardened length through his jeans beneath her and quickly removed her capri pants barely breaking their contact as she did so.

Remy whimpered when he felt her cool hand on his length. He didn't realize she'd managed to undo his belt. But he did realize that he needed to stop this. It had gone farther than he wanted. That's when he felt her silky flesh surround him.

* * *

"Merde, so stupid," Remy sighed as he withdrew himself from his thoughts. All those stupid health class lectures and films that he'd never really paid much attention to came back to taunt him. _'It only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg.' _He'd pushed her off immediately and it hadn't made one damned difference.

Perhaps if he had told Ororo what he'd done immediately she would have forgiven him. He'd convinced himself over the years that she would have. She would have understood more had he not deceived her.

Remy stood and looked towards the back entrance of his home. He could hear Etienne and Jake's squeals of delight. Through the length of French doors he could see the boys firmly gripping each of Logan's biceps as he lifted them easily off the floor.

Etienne's laughter filled his heart and the boy's smile brought one to his own lips. His son's conception may have not occurred under ideal circumstances but the boy was the only real joy he had left in his life. Remy would never trade that for anything or anyone in the world.

Being a father was second nature to him. He'd been privy to the worst fathers, his absent biological father and his spiteful stepfather, to the best, Jean and Logan's dad and of course Jean-Luc. Even though he hadn't asked for the role and was leery of the circumstances once he laid eyes on the fragile being that he'd helped create there was no question what type of father he wanted to be.

Remy smiled erasing the lingering gloom that had affixed itself to his face as he joined Logan, Mariko and the boys.

"Thought you two lovebirds were leaving," Remy said smiling brighter as Etienne released Logan and ran to wrap his arms around his legs._  
_

"We are…just wanted to say goodnight to the gremlins."

"Hey!" Jake shouted in protest of his father's name calling. "That's not nice!"

"That's not nice…," Logan mocked in a high voice as he ruffled Jake's hair.

"Logan, please." Mariko chided. "Sometimes I think I'm the only adult in the house," she said to Remy.

Remy shook his head. After all these years Logan was always his friend. He never changed. He told it like it was and didn't sugarcoat the words. Remy appreciated that.

Logan was the only person that he'd told about his encounter with Bella and that she was pregnant. He didn't tell Jean because somehow she and Ororo had forged an unshakeable friendship. Maybe it was because they were women and understood each other in ways that he and Logan couldn't relate. Not that Logan was an understanding shoulder to cry on. The two men had never exchanged blows but that night in the bar after Remy had spilled his guts they almost had.

"Well, Logan is kid-sized," Remy cracked.

"Watch it, Gumbo," Logan retorted. "We're getting out of here. You boys give Remy hell," Logan said to the teetering boys.

"Good night, Remy," Mariko said then turn to the boys, "Be good."

Etienne and Jake hugged Logan then Mariko as they said their goodbyes.

"You two get up stairs and wash up." Remy said to them ignoring their protests. "We're going to the lake. Gotta get there early if we're gonna catch any fish."

The adults smiled as they listened to the children's whoops of joy and watched them as they ascended the stairs trying to beat the other to the top.

Logan walked to the door and held it open for Mariko. Once she was through he turned to Remy and gave him a thoughtful look, "You can't change the past, so there ain't no reason for ya to dwell on it. See what ya can make of the future."

Logan closed the door not waiting for Remy to respond. His statement was a fact and he knew it was the truth.

* * *

Logan's words echoed in Remy's thoughts. He nodded his agreement to the empty room. Remy just wasn't sure how to go about his future. Should he do as Logan suggested, move on or try to get Ororo back?

Remy pondered the thought as he climbed the stairs and turned the corner of the long hallway. He looked up just in time to see the boys dart into his bedroom. _Now what could they be doing in there?_ Remy smirked. Etienne was a master creeper, always peeping from behind a curtain or from under a tablecloth. Tonight he had his partner in crime. Most likely they were going to try to scare him. Too bad for them he'd seen their sneaky butts.

Remy crept down the hallway with a sly smile on his face. He was going to make those little devils scream. He eased around the corner to peak out where they were when he heard Etienne's voice.

"My mama was at the wedding today. Want to see a picture of her?" Etienne asked the younger boy in a hushed tone.

"Uh-huh," Jake nodded.

Bella wasn't at the wedding. And he certainly didn't have any pictures of her in his room. Remy peered around the door frame. He saw Etienne and Jake kneeling in front of his nightstand. Etienne had reached in and taken out a picture he knew was of Ororo.

Etienne turned the picture towards Jake and smiled brightly. Jake looked confused.

"That's Auntie O! Auntie O is your mom?" Jake asked genuinely perplexed.

"You know her?" Etienne asked excitedly.

"Yeah! She sends the best birthday presents. But…I thought Auntie didn't have any kids."

"She's not my real mother, silly. See…she's black."

"So," Jake said frowning. "My mom's Japanese," he stated matter of factly.

Etienne didn't have a response. Jake's mom was Japanese.

"Well, she's the one my Papa loves. When she loves him back she's going to be my mama."

"Oh," Jake said understanding Etienne's logic. He took the picture from Etienne and looked at it closely. "Your mom is pretty and super nice."

"Yeah, I think so too."

Remy sighed. Maybe he wasn't ready to move on. He wanted his future to be with her. His son wanted their future to be with her. Hell, all she could do was brutally reject him and slap him with a restraining order. But he was a LeBeau. Through the hardest times he was taught to never give up.

Remy smiled. His mind made up. Ororo had better be ready.


	4. Chapter 4

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Four

Ororo finally allowed her mind to relax and the tension to leave her body once the plane leveled off at thirty-five thousand feet in altitude. She'd spent the night in the guest bedroom of her parent's home. Her old bedroom had long ago been converted to an office for her mother's catering business.

Before she closed her eyes for a restless night of sleep she'd set the alarm of her cell phone to wake her at 4:00 am. She'd booked the first flight available out of New Orleans and wanted to be at the airport when it opened.

Her parents may have still resided in the city but it wasn't her home anymore. New Orleans only brought back hurtful memories. She tried to visit the city as little as possible but occasions like weddings, anniversaries, and funerals made trips necessary. Her home was back in New York.

New York was a constantly changing city. Any bad memories were quickly replaced by more people, traffic, and noise. She didn't have to think there. Life in New Orleans was slow. The grand oak trees and never changing streets and buildings absorbed and became a part of the memories and lives of those around them.

The once happy memories and feelings that Ororo had worked hard to suppress over the years itched just under the surface of her cool demeanor. She closed her eyes and waited for the turbulence of the large aircraft to subside. Behind her eyelids she tried to push away the thoughts that had crept their way back into her mind over the last week. She did not want to think of the past and how much she missed him…_Remy_. It took years for her to pretend that he didn't exist.

The hurt she endured because of Remy LeBeau almost destroyed her. At one time she'd have done anything for him…to be with him. She trusted him with her whole self and he tore her apart. She decided that she'd never let another man have that opportunity again. Never would she trust or love the way she did Remy.

If Remy, the person that had shown so much passion and commitment towards her could treat her so ill a common male would only do worse. Especially when she'd thought she knew him better than anyone. She knew he wore his emotions on his sleeve. That he cherished his few friends and family. And that he loved her. So why…why had he made a fool of her?

He'd willfully made choices that she could not forgive. He'd done too much and his reasons did not excuse his actions.

Remy had tried to explain to her what happened between him and Bella Donna. That he'd let things go too far when he couldn't reach her.

She began to blame herself for forgetting to take her cell phone to work then not checking it as soon as she was home. What if she had declined to work a double shift and had gotten home before midnight? What if she hadn't thrown her clothes over the damned phone when she'd gotten undressed? What if? What if? What if? There were so many 'what ifs.'

Many things that she could have done differently that could have prevented the whole situation. If she'd only been there to talk to him, to tell him she was on her way, he wouldn't have to go through his pain without her. Maybe he wouldn't have felt so alone and abandoned.

Had he told her what happened instead of waiting almost a year, even through her hurt she would have loved him enough to forgive him. _Should've, could've, would've. _But it was the lies and deceit that she could not forgive.

A few months after Jean-Luc had passed away suddenly Remy decided that they shouldn't wait to marry. He played on her sympathetic nature and the loss of his father to manipulate her. He moved to New York. She'd believed him when he'd told her that he couldn't bear to be away from her any longer. That she was all he truly had left. _All lies. _She believed his tears and words of desperation were pure of malice and intent.

She thought he didn't return to school after summer break was because he truly wanted to be with her. The lengths he went to was outlandish. _Desperate._ He bought them an apartment close to NYU and enrolled in a general education program there. He promised her that he'd stick to his plan to get his degree in architecture before she agreed to a courthouse marriage against the wishes of her parents and her family in the area.

She wanted him to be happy. He'd lost his smile. He married her knowing that he was hiding a potential child. _Damn him_. He thought that it would he harder for her to turn him away if all came to light and the child was his. _Deceitful Bastard. _It made it easier.

Remy had learned of Bella's pregnancy through Marius when she was only a few months pregnant. Bella didn't know who the father of her unborn child was. She'd been with other men in the weeks following her encounter with Remy. Marius advised Remy not to turn his life upside down in the case that he wasn't the father. He knew his daughter was promiscuous and it could have been anyone's child, even one of the orderlies at the rehab center for all he knew.

Remy and Ororo had been happily, ecstatically married for almost a year when her world came crashing down around her…

_The Revelation:_

Ororo stood in the kitchen, brows scrunched up and lips twisted, pondering where she'd gone wrong. She thought she'd followed her mother's apple pie recipe exactly. It was supposed to be an easy beginner's recipe. _Why the heck is this so runny?_ She reread the instructions.

"Ah ha," she muttered, "corn starch."

Remy stood behind her leaning on the doorframe, watching…his cell phone still in his hand. _Mon Dieu, please have mercy._

He'd just gotten off the phone with Marius. The words that bombarded his daily thoughts and consumed his nightly dreams echoed in his head. "You're the father, Remy." _How could this be? _His heart sunk and bile rose from his stomach. He had to tell his wife.

"Ro," he whispered.

"Hmm?" she replied not looking away from the contents of the pot she was stirring. She didn't want the syrupy concoction to burn.

"Ro, I messed up real bad…"

"Not as bad as I'm messing up this filling," she chuckled glancing back at Remy. Her laughter died when she saw his reddened eyes the grim expression on his face, "What's wrong, babe?"

"I have to tell you something, mon chére."

Ororo turned off the stove and moved the pot to a cooler back burner. She approached him and placed her hands on either side of his face lifting his bowed head so she could look into his eyes.

"What is it, Remy?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. He was scaring her. _What could it be?_

"Oh God, Ro," he said as he wrapped her in his arms, his hold squeezing her tightly. "Please forgive me."

"What is it? What did you do? Tell me."

Remy loosened his hold enough to look at her, "Do you love me, Ro?"

"You know I do."

"Tell me you love me, Ro, please."

"God, Remy, what is it?" Her normally calm deep voice rose to a frantic screech.

"Tell me," He repeated.

"I love you, Remy. I love you so much. Now please tell me." She was on the verge of tears and she didn't know why.

"Bella Donna's baby is mine."

"What? Bella Donna's baby?" The words didn't make any sense to her.

"I'm the father."

Ororo pushed his protesting hands away and stepped back looking at him as if she'd never met him before and wondered why this strange man was in her home. She stared at him wordlessly for a moment suddenly she smiled and laughed.

"Remy, what are you talking about? That's not funny," she said as she turned back to the stove picking up the wooden she'd been using.

Remy stepped behind her wrapping his arms around her, "I'm so sorry, Ro," his words full of tears that he'd been holding back until now.

She began to struggle to get loose from his confines.

"No. No. No. It isn't true," She said as she freed herself turning to look at him.

He couldn't look at her. "It's true," he said softly to the floor.

He looked up when he heard the sudden burst of her tears. He tried to go to her but she was past him so quickly he barely touched the sleeve of her shirt.

"Ororo, please, let's talk about this," he pleaded.

"You slept with her?"

"No! Yes! I don't know…," Remy knew he sounded like an idiot. "Let me explain."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're the father of her child aren't you?" Ororo yelled.

"Oui," Remy stated defeated. "But it's not like it sounds."

"Let me guess. It just happened?"

"It did just happen! Things just went too far and…"

Ororo cut him off, "Don't I give you what you need?"

"Always."

Her tears filled the brief silence.

"Ro, my Papa had just died. I was upset," he tried to explain. "Remember I tried to call you…"

"And I didn't answer the phone so you fuck whoever's there?"

"No!"

"When are you going to grow up, Remy? When are you going to stop blaming everything on how you feel at the moment? Huh?" She continued when he didn't answer. "Why doesn't the way someone else feel mean anything to you?" she sniffled, "I was there that night, Remy. That night..."

"Ororo, you mean everything to me," his eyes pleaded with her to understand. "I made a mistake."

Ororo sat on their couch, her hands holding her head. Remy approached her and kneeled next to her. "You're my wife. I love you more than anyone or anything in this world."

"You knew," she said as she lifted her head. "You knew that woman was pregnant. Everything you did was because you knew." Fresh tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "You moved here, you married me because you knew. Didn't you?"

"Non, chérie, I married you because I love you."

"You son of a bitch! How could you?" she yelled as she stood.

"I was scared. I didn't want to lose you! Can't you understand that?" he pleaded looking up at her.

She realized that he'd never have told her if he could have gotten away with it. "Oh my God, Remy," she breathed. "How could you?" she asked again as she moved to get past him.

"Ro, wait," he said as he grabbed her arm to stop her.

He stared up at her gob smacked when she turned and slapped him with a strength that he didn't know she had.

Ororo stunned herself. She'd never hit anyone before. Her palm stung and she could still feel the sensations of Remy's smooth skin.

Her violent outburst stilled her rampaging emotions. She took in a deep cleansing breath before she began to speak, "I can't be here right now. I have to think."

She walked to the door and picked up her purse and keys. She didn't look back when she exited.

Ororo left the apartment that night and never went back. Instead she sent for her things through her grandmother and aunt. She didn't dare send her father's brother or his sons. Remy wouldn't have survived the encounter.

* * *

The "Buckle Seatbelt" sign came on just before the pilot announced their approach to Kennedy International Airport.

Ororo exhaled and with that breath released the past from her thoughts. She would not think of Remy LeBeau any longer. Now she would only look to the future.

She turned on her cell phone and smiled when it vibrated and a message appeared, "I'm here. I missed you."

She didn't reply. There was no need. She knew Henry would be there waiting for her no matter what. Good old reliable Henry.


	5. Chapter 5

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Five

A/N: Ororo and Hank had a relationship in the Ultimate X-verse.

I plan on responding to reviews on my main page.

Thank you all who are reading. Thank you all that are reviewing. It is greatly appreciated. Oh! After reading this chapter could you all let me know if I should change the rating from "T" to "M"?

Also, No BETA! I'd been forgetting to mention that in the last couple of updates.

* * *

Dr. Henry Phillip McCoy, "Hank" to his colleagues, Lead Biochemist of Brand Corporation. Well respected in his field and that's about it. He was predictable, logical, and humble. Ororo didn't have to think too much when she was with him. She liked that.

Most people would say he was dull, from his matter of fact tone of voice, to his choice of monochromatic grey suits, and meticulously cropped brown hair. His intellect sometimes overshadowed his personality. He was no doubt the smartest man most people would ever have the privilege to encounter.

He wasn't particularly good looking and kind of hairy. He was a few inches shorter than Ororo's five foot eleven inch height. His squat stature was farther emphasized by his boxy frame. But he had an ever present sparkle in his otherwise ordinary brown eyes. If not he'd be completely plain and unnoticeable. Hank was well aware that he couldn't change his genetics but he could do whatever he could to bring out their best qualities with frequent trips to the gym.

A chance late evening meeting at a twenty-four hour gym was the beginning of the mismatched couple's relationship. Hank had noticed Ororo many times and was immediately intrigued as were many other men that had the opportunity to spy her in her form fitting exercise attire. However she never really noticed him or any of the other men peacocking past her either. They all seemed to blend into the background.

Hank finally worked up enough courage to talk to her when he'd noticed her crestfallen face when she realized she'd forgotten her iPod. He offered her his while he went to shower. Initially Ororo objected but the loud grunting of the men lifting weights quickly changed her mind.

As he showered Ororo scrolled through his diverse and eclectic musical genres, from Mozart and Beethoven to Fifty and Biggie. His extensive selections not only amused her but also peaked her interest in the man.

Hank was pleased to see her smiling face directed towards him when he approached her after his shower. Never had such a beautiful woman, not there were others on this planet such as her, given him a second glance. After three months of casual dating and three months of seeing each other exclusively it made no sense to prolong an inevitable outcome. It was time for him to ask her to marry him.

He'd made up his mind before Ororo left for New Orleans. He'd do so once he'd received confirmation that she felt for him as he did her. Never to be one to make hasty decisions he'd analyzed every aspect of their relationship. The only con that caused him pause was their age difference. Ororo had only just turned thirty. He was forty-five. However she'd made it known that she wanted children and surely a woman of her prime child bearing age, with a secure career was ready for such a step. There was no point in waiting. Neither was getting any younger.

* * *

Hank had been waiting for her flight to get in for about thirty minutes...just in case it arrived early. He anticipated seeing her. A breakthrough in some research he'd been conducting prevented him from making the trip with her. He would have loved to have met her parents. However, he was sure he would in the near future. The sight of her rounding the corner only strengthened his resolve to marry her. She was absolutely breathtaking even after a hectic week of hectic last minute wedding details and travel. _Hank, you're a lucky bastard._ He often pondered how someone like her would be with someone like him.

He watched Ororo walk towards him. A smile played across his lips as he subtly watched out the corner of his eye as other men noticed her. They couldn't help but stare. She looked exquisite. Those startling blue eyes sparkled against flawless mocha skin. Even with her white hair pulled back in a low ponytail, a plain white v-neck t-shirt, blue denim jeans, and white tennis shoes she made other women around her in their finest attire look ordinary and dowdy. His smile grew when the disbelief that this beautiful creature was actually stopping in front of him appeared on their faces.

"Ororo, I'm so glad you're back," he beamed as he took her carry-on bag and embraced her.

"I couldn't wait to get back home," Ororo said as she leaned in a planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Good, I'm glad. Are you up for lunch?"

Ororo hummed contemplating his request as she diligently scanned the baggage carousel for her vintage Louis Vuitton luggage. "I think I'd rather go home."

"Great! I'll make lunch for both of us at your place."

Ororo spotted her luggage grabbing it before it passed her by. She tugged at the heavy case trying to free it from the weight of other suitcases piled around it. She'd given in to letting it rotate around again in hopes that some of the obstacles the other cases provided would be removed freeing her case. Instead Hank's large hands grabbed the case lifting it easily from the jumble.

"My hero," Ororo smiled.

Internally Hank beamed from the compliment. He really wanted to be her hero but she was just so independent. Rarely had she given him the opportunity to assist her with anything. It made him feel even more insecure in their relationship. She was ridiculously gorgeous and financially secure. He often wondered what it was that she got out of the relationship with him.

"Shall we?" he asked as he gestured for her to lead the way out of the airport.

"Oui," Ororo replied not thinking.

"Ah…down in the bayou picking up the French language, I see," he jest as they began to walk.

Ororo laughed nervously. "I guess so."

Remy was still on her mind even if it was subconsciously. She mentally scolded herself as she reached for Hank's hand giving it a firm squeeze. _Damn you, Remy LeBeau._

Hank was both surprised and thrilled by Ororo's hand in his. It was rare that she'd initiate public displays of affection even if it was something as simple as holding hands.

* * *

Ororo watched from the couch as Hank rinsed the dishes in the sink. Her apartment was small but that's to be expected in New York's Financial District. Everything in the apartment was within view save the small bedroom and the bath. Even though the rent was expensive it was a nice place to live with friendly neighbors, a courteous doorman, and a small balcony connecting to the fire escape big enough for a bistro table and chair as well as a few of her favorite plants. She was comfortable there.

Ororo returned the smile Hank had given her when he looked over at her. He'd had made a wonderful lunch and asked her about her trip and the wedding. She had to remind herself to return the courtesy, inquiring about his work and their time spent apart even though she already knew what he'd done before she asked. He rarely departed from his usual schedule. Often she wondered which of his many hobbies were cast aside once they began seeing each other regularly.

He was a nice guy. She actually did really like him. He had a pleasant disposition and hobbies that didn't cause him to be too clingy. Sometimes he could be rather bland. But bland wasn't bad when Ororo's had more "excitement" in her one real relationship to last her a lifetime.

She'd been free of drama for the last ten years and now she just wanted to cleanse away the remnants of the past that the weekend had conjured up.

Ororo stood and walked into the small kitchen, inching by Hank as she did. "Excuse me."

Hank moved silently out of her way watching as Ororo reached in to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of white wine. He arched his eye slightly.

"Would you like a glass?" she asked.

"Don't you think it's a bit early for wine?"

"It's after lunch and we both have the rest of the day off. I don't see why not," she explained.

"I mean, don't you think it's a bit early in the week…to drink? It's only Monday."

Ororo internally groaned, "Fine. I'll drink alone," she said as she turned and retrieved a slender wine glass.

Hank sensed her annoyance, "What the hell, why not?" he quickly amended.

Ororo retrieved another glass. It took only seconds to uncork the bottle and fill the glass. She smirked to herself when saw the discomfort on Hank's face. Hank would probably pop a blood vessel if he knew that she partook in underage drinking. She and Remy shared many glasses of wine midday before heading off to their afternoon classes…after making love. _Get out of my mind, Remy!_

Ororo quickly downed the smooth alcohol and refilled her glass. She turned to find Hank's disapproving eyes watching her.

"It was a rough flight. I need to calm my nerves," she lied.

Hank gave her a concerned look but refrained from voicing his opinion further. Instead he quietly followed her back to the couch.

"Ororo, I've been thinking…"

"When don't you?" she grinned slyly.

"Touché but I was actually thinking about us…our relationship."

Ororo felt her heart flutter a bit. _What possibly could he be about to say?_

"What exactly about our relationship?" she asked not really wanting to know.

"I really care about you, Ororo," he said as he set his glass down on the trunk that Ororo used as a coffee table and took her hands in his.

_Oh no. _She didn't like where this conversation was going. She just wasn't ready. "I really care for you too, Henry," she said as she quickly placed her glass next to his. She didn't want him to say what she knew was about to escape his lips and a distraction was in order. "I missed you so much," she said straddling his hips then kissing his lips.

Hank was taken aback by her sudden boldness. She wasn't shy but she'd never been very aggressive when they'd been intimate.

"Ororo, I…."

"Stop talking. I've been gone for a week. I thought you missed me," she said sweetly between kisses.

"I have. Very much," Hank said giving in to her kisses and relaxing against her touch.

"Let's go to the bedroom. Now," she said as she wrapped her legs around him.

Hank's furrowed his brows. That was new but he'd be happy to oblige. He lifted her effortlessly and carried her to her bed.

Ororo's heart fluttered. She hadn't been carried to bed like that since… _Don't think of him._

Hank gently laid her on the bed returning her feverish kisses as best he could.

She closed her eyes tightly willing away the thoughts of Remy. Seeing him, being so close to him, talking to him…she just couldn't seem to get him out of her mind.

Ororo made quick work of unbuckling Hank's belt and pulling his shirt from his slacks. She frantically ran her hands over his shirt in and effort to relay her need. He wasn't getting the message.

Ororo's newfound vigor was rather confusing to Hank. They'd always taken their time when they made love. She was so eager this time. The distance must have caused her to realize how must he actually mean to her, he reasoned.

"Quickly, Henry, undress. I need you." _… to help me forget._

Hank stood and began undressing as quickly as he could. Ororo watched him. With each piece of clothing he removed she unwillingly compared him to her old love. Hank was covered in course hair; Remy was delicately smooth. Hank was bulky and thick; Remy was long and lean. Hank's coarse face was serious and determined, eager to please. Remy's beautiful, beautiful face was playful and seductive.

"Oh god…," she breathe out. _Why can't I be rid of this torture? _She lay there unmoving staring up at the ceiling. Her brain would not let that man go.

Hank assumed that she'd undress as she usually did while he fished a prophylactic out of her bedside drawer. He felt somewhat foolish standing naked in the afternoon light of her bedroom with only his black socks and a condom on.

Ororo finally looked at Hank, a sweet beast of a man who wanted so desperately to please her. He always tried to give her what she needed but never managed to thoroughly fulfill the task, not in emotionally or physically. There was something missing that he couldn't provide. Ororo had felt it but she hadn't admitted to herself until now. He wasn't _him._ But perhaps for tonight…he could be.

She closed her eyes as she cleared her thoughts and concentrated. "Take off my clothes…slowly." _Remy _always undressed her slowly; kissing her flesh as he did so. Her body involuntarily shivered with the memory.

Hank was fascinated. Never had any woman responded to him in such a way. He felt her pulling him in just a bit farther.

"Touch me."

Hands that hadn't been there in a decade drifted over her body. Hank watched her writhe beneath his ministrations. He'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Ororo's body hummed with anticipation. She'd missed _him_ so much, "Make love to me…please."

Hank could barely contain his eagerness as he climbed onto the bed settling between her legs. She'd never said "please" to him before. That simple word sent him to heights that he wasn't aware existed until this moment.

"I love you, Ororo," he said as he slipped inside her.

She gasped with pleasure. "I love you too."

Ororo's eyes snapped open. Her wide eyed baby blues met the gaze of his delighted love filled brown.

"Oh, god...," she breathe.

* * *

End Note: Who's using who?


	6. Chapter 6

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Six

Remy lounged against the workbench in Logan's motorcycle workshop. The place had barely changed except for a few new pieces of equipment purchased after Logan had taken over as manager when his father decided to only work part-time. John wanted to spend more time with his wife, Elizabeth. Much to everyone's surprise, except Logan's, shortly after John's decision he had a little sister, Rose. Logan was always surprised there weren't a house full of them the way his parent's carried on.

Rose was a little over a year older than Etienne. Remy teased him about her relentlessly. His son had a crush on his best friend's sister. Somehow that amused Remy to no end. And from what Remy could tell, little Rose was just as smitten with his son.

Remy mused that his son's love life was in better shape than his own. That's why he was in the shop today. He needed Logan to do him a favor.

"I'm going to New York," Remy stated.

"Yeah? What for?" Logan asked glancing up at Remy briefly as he tightened a bolt of a custom motorcycle he'd just begun to build.

"For Ro."

Logan only grunted his response barely pausing in his work.

"That's it? Nothing else to say?" Remy asked.

"Nope."

"Can you look after Etienne for me?"

"How long ya planning on being gone?"

"Just the weekend...leave on Friday, back on Sunday," Remy said.

Logan stopped; putting his tool down and reached for a towel, he diligently cleaned his hands as he looked at his friend, "That's all the time ya think ya need?" He arched his eyebrow inquisitively.

"Non, mon ami, It's gonna take Remy longer than that."

"No shit." Logan threw the towel back onto the bench then moved on to his next task.

Remy ignored Logan's response. "If she's thinking about me half as much as I'm thinking about her…just from seeing her the other day, then I should make an appearance."

"Yeah? What if she ain't thinking about ya at all?"

"Ya think she ain't?" Remy asked.

"No. But she sure as hell ain't going to tell you she is."

"It don't matter what she tells me. Its how she feel."

"She feels like she hates yer guts."

"There's a thin line between love and hate. You know that, homme."

* * *

Ororo sat on her big comfy couch. She'd tried watching television, reading, and even sleeping. Her mind was wouldn't settle down long enough to focus on anything except the massive bouquet of wildflowers that was delivered to her office today. It was the second delivery of the week. The first delivery was a dozen red roses that came the next day after her impromptu declaration of love to Hank.

She'd gotten herself into a mess and she knew it. Telling Hank she loved him was wrong. She let herself get caught up in the moment. Not even in that particular moment. She'd let herself get caught up in the past.

Ororo's cell phone rang. She knew who it was without looking at the little digital display. Hank called her every evening without fail at seven p.m. on the days that they did not see each other.

"Henry," she announced into the receiver.

"Ororo, dear, how was your day?"

"Busy," she replied.

"Still playing catch up, I see."

"Yep." She really didn't want to talk to him. After their last night together she felt ashamed and guilty when she'd hear his voice. It was tinged with enthusiasm and delight. "By the way, Henry, the flowers are beautiful but you don't have to keep sending them."

"You received more flowers?" Hank asked genuinely perplexed.

"Yes. From you, I assumed."

"Hmm…it seems I have some competition," Hank mused. He was more concerned than his playful tone let on. "There was no card?"

"I didn't look. I just assumed they were from you. Maybe the florist made a mistake," Ororo said as she stood and walked to the table where the flowers were perched. The white envelope was hidden within the depths of colorful sweet smelling blooms. She pulled out the note and read, "Ma petite."

"Well?" Hank asked.

"Um, yes, there seems to be a mistake. Your name is on this card too," she lied. The little card began to shake between her suddenly trembling fingers.

"Huh, well then…please enjoy them," he stated.

Ororo laughed nervously, "Thank you...Henry."

There was a brief lull in conversation Ororo didn't notice. She was too focused on the card she held. When Hank began to speak, he startled her out of her stupor.

"Well, I guess it's up to me to get you out of the house this weekend," he said hopefully while changing the subject.

Ororo had successfully avoided Hank for the rest of the week after he'd picked her up from the airport on Monday. "Oh…I…can't," she lied again. "I have to work." She could almost hear Hank's thick bushy brows furrow as he processed her words. She hardly ever worked weekends and that was only during the closing of the fiscal year. Hank knew that was months away. She quickly added to her tale to further convince him. "There's some big deal in the works. I have a lot of numbers to crunch."

"I see, perhaps during the week then?"

"Yes, during the week," she stated absently still looking at the card between her fingers.

"All right then, good night, Ororo," he said.

"Good night, Henry."

"I love you."

Ororo shut her eyes and breathe out herself loathing, "I love you too."

She pressed the "End" button then plopped down onto her couch, burying her head into the lose pillows of the couch.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled into the fabric.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling as she let her thoughts wander. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. 'There isn't such thing as mistakes', she reasoned to herself. 'Everything happens for a reason.' She looked at the note and the flowers again. _What the hell is Remy up to?_

Maybe her slip was the universe's way of making her move on. She was with Hank now. Maybe over time her feelings could grow if she could just put the misdeeds of her ex completely behind her. Perhaps if she'd allow herself to feel without being bitter about her past she could quite possibly already love him.

Perhaps her premature confession was a good thing. It was forcing her to open up to possibilities in her life that she'd almost dismissed.

Her phone rang again pulling her from her thoughts.

She looked at the display and didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" It was more of a question than a greeting.

"Hey Lady!" A chipper voice chirped through the earpiece and Ororo's smile grew.

"Mrs. Summers…why are you calling me while on your honeymoon? I thought you said you were going to be in isolated bliss and wouldn't be interrupted by anything or anyone but your man."

"I said that when we first started planning our wedding…five years ago!"

"So?"

"So, Scott and I have been together for twelve years. We're already an old married couple."

"That's true," Ororo confirmed. They laughed.

"Besides," Jean said, "I miss you. This past week is the longest I've gone without talking to you."

"Aww…, I miss you too." Ororo teased.

The two friends made idle conversation from what the weather was like down in Turks and Caicos to the different type of native foods the couple had eaten before Jean finally got around to why she'd actually called.

"Ro, I'm really sorry you were put in that situation at the wedding. It's just that we had no other choice."

"Yes you did. You could have let me walk alone," Ororo responded immediately knowing exactly what situation Jean was referring to.

"Yeah, but then Scott would have been standing there all by himself and it would have thrown off the symmetry."

Ororo harrumphed into the phone. She knew how much of a perfectionist Jean was. "It's okay. I'm a big girl. I can be cordial with him. We talked briefly at the reception. He even introduced me to his son."

Ororo was sure Jean's eyes were as big as plates and she almost laughed when Jean only managed an astonished, "Really?"

"Yes, really. He's a beautiful child."

Jean smiled and she almost let hope creep into her mind. "Yes, he is, Ro. So beautiful. I was hoping that one day that you'd get to see that. And to see how much Remy has changed…"

"Wait a minute! Let's not go that far. There is no more Remy LeBeau in my life. It doesn't matter to me if he's changed."

"But Ro…"

"No Jean!"

"He still loves you," Jean said after a brief pause.

Ororo was annoyed by the tears threatening to come forth. She felt as if Jean had punched her in her chest. He just keeps pulling her in no matter how hard she digs in her heels. "I think he sent me flowers today."

"Oh, Ro…He does. And you still love him. If you didn't, you would've moved on by now."

"But I have."

"No, you haven't."

"I love Henry." That lie was getting easier to tell. Maybe she did actually love him.

Jean was taken aback by Ororo's declaration. Ororo had never said that about any man she'd dated since Remy.

"Oh," Jean said, her wind gone from her sails. "Are you sure?" she asked. Ororo had never shown much enthusiasm for Hank. She'd seen Ororo more worked up over sexy vampires terrorizing Louisiana on television than she'd seen her show for Hank.

"As sure as I'll ever be."

"That's not a good answer, Ro."

"Jean, don't you think it's time? I want to have someone to come home to. I want children. I want a house in the suburbs. Why can't I have that?"

"You can, honey. But you can have that with someone that you love. Someone that makes your heart flutter and your toes curl with a single thought of him."

"I had that someone and I've regretted it ever since."

"So now you're going to settle? That's not fair to him or you or even Henry." Jean said.

She was settling but she'd never admit to it, "You should get back to your husband."

"Ro, I'm not saying what Remy did wasn't wrong. It was. But he made a mistake. Can't you forgive him for that?"

"No. Goodnight, Jean."

"Goodnight, Ro. I love you."

"I love you too, bye," Ororo replied as she ended the call.

_Damn you, Remy. I will not let you ruin my life again._

* * *

Ororo had dozed off on the couch after her conversation with Jean. Insistent soft knocking roused her awake. She looked at the clock. She'd only been asleep for forty-five minutes. It seemed longer.

Another round of knocking brought her a little further into her senses as she jumped up and ran to the door. She looked out of the peephole and thought the concave shape of the glass inside the mechanism as well as her foggy sleep riddled mind were playing tricks on her.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Remy."

She couldn't have heard him right. "Who?" she asked again.

"Mon chére, it's Remy."

Ororo's brain stopped working for the second time that night. Thought came to her in primitive waves. She voiced each one as they came:

_Why is he here?_

"Why are you here?"

"To see you," Remy said.

_To see me? Why?_

"Why?"

"So we can talk, chérie," Remy said.

_Talk? About what?_

"About what?"

"Chérie, open the door. We can have this conversation face to face."

Ororo stood unmoving. Remy was on the other side of the door and he wanted to talk to her face to face. She took a deep breath and let her faculties catch up with the situation before she swung open the door.

And there he was…as perfect as the first day she'd met him. Dark denim clad legs and a white v-neck sweater. She could see the outline of his pectoral muscles underneath. Her heart did that skipping thing that it tended to do whenever he was around.

"I don't want to see you, Remy."

"Is that why you opened the door, chérie?" he asked as he smirked.

She used to find his smirk sexy now she found it mocking and infuriating.

"What the hell do you want, Remy?"

"You."

Ororo heard the word. It was simple…to the point…"you," yet it didn't compute. She was confused. Remy LeBeau, her ex-husband, the man that ruined her life, the reason for most of her issues past, present, and most likely future, was standing in her doorway telling her that he wanted her. He has lost his mind.

"Have you gone insane?"

"Non, mon chére, just the opposite."

"You shouldn't be here. I want you to leave."

"No you don't," he said softly. "Let me in."

"No! Leave! Now!" she hissed as she tried to close the door. Remy was too fast. He was between the door and the frame before she could close it completely. "I don't want to talk to you." she said through gritted teeth.

"Ororo, Ro, please. Let me in."

This little scene reminded her of the first night he'd climbed into her window when they were teens. She remembered him saying that he always get what he wants. The fleeting memory stilled her resistance. She pressed the door harder using her body weight to squeeze the persistent intruder. "No! Leave!" she almost whined.

"Ow! Okay, chérie, you win." They stood looking at each other silently for a moment when Remy began to speak, "You'll have to get off the door. I can't move."

Ororo exhaled her exasperation and released the door. "What are you doing?" she yelled as Remy breezed past her and into her apartment.

Remy remembered that night at her window also. He was delighted that she still trusted his word but felt bad for deceiving her one minute into their conversation. "I lied."

"What's new?"

"I deserved that."

Ororo folded her arms over her chest, gathering her resolve. "What do you want?" she asked again as she looked him directly in the eyes.

"I told you," Remy said as he took a step towards her.

Ororo stilled. Even though every nerve in her body warned her to run, she was determined to stand her own ground. She was not the young girl that melted every time he looked at her with those smoldering dark eyes and those soft, delectable lips. The same ones she'd visualized Hank kissing her with were definitely not going to affect her. _God he's beautiful._

Maybe she shouldn't be so close. She moved away putting her hands up to halt his approach. "Remy, I've told you that I don't want to do this…rehash the past."

"I'm not talking about the past. I'm talking about the future."

"There is no future."

"Yes there is chérie. I let you go too easy and I..."

"I'm going to stop you now, Remy," she interupted. "Yes, we did have a future together. We were going to have lots of babies and grow old together. That was the plan but you ruined it. You ruined our future together, not me. Now I want nothing to do with you. I've moved on. I suggest you do the same."

"Non."

"No? What do you mean "no"?"

"I mean…," he said approaching her again, closing the gap she'd created, "that I'll never move on. We're not done yet. I messed up, I know that, and I'm going to prove to you that I've changed."

"First of all, Mr. LeBeau, you're doing a horrible job of proving this change of yours. You're pulling the same tricks you did when we were kids. And secondly, I don't care if you've changed or not. Why won't you listen?"

"Well, Mrs. LeBeau…"

"Don't," Ororo said. The tears that threatened while talking to Jean found their way around her resolve, filling her eyes. "Don't call me that."

Remy almost felt bad. He'd always hated to see her cry but her tears gave him hope. She still cared. "You used to like it when I called you Mrs. LeBeau."

"That's not who I am anymore."

"You'll always be my wife, chérie."

"Get out…please," Ororo said as she turned away from him. She couldn't believe the pain that suddenly overtook her. She kept it locked away and she thought she'd long ago sealed the corner of her mind in which it resided.

"Ororo, what we had was perfect until I messed it up. But I can't change the past. I don't want to change the past. I love my son. But I love you too; I'll never stop. And if you'll give me another chance to prove it…"

"You promised…," she said.

"Que?"

Ororo turned towards him. "You promised. You said you'd never break my heart the way Anna broke yours." She waited for him to respond. The crestfallen look on his face told her he wasn't going to. "You broke your promise. I won't let you do it again."

"What can I do? What can I say to make you understand?" He asked.

"You've done and said enough, Remy. I don't want to be with you."

"You mean that, ma petite?"

Ororo nodded.

Remy closed the small space between them and looked deeply into those blue eyes of hers. She lifted her chin in defiance, gaining back some of the resilience she'd let slip only to let it falter again when he lifted his hand and ghosted his fingers across her left cheek. She struggled not to react to his touch. The touch she missed so much.

"You always were a terrible liar," he stated as he backed away and went to the door. "This ain't over yet, chérie. I'll be seeing ya."

With those parting words he opened the door and left. leaving Ororo standing stunned in her empty apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 7

A/N: Somewhat short chapter. Filler. But I think vital to the upcoming chapters. No Beta.

* * *

Remy stood looking out of the window of his darkened hotel room at the skyline of the city he'd briefly called home. It was home because Ororo was there; he didn't particularly care for New York. Unlike New Orleans or even Paris, it was too busy. People here didn't take the time to enjoy life. And if Ororo knew it or not she wasn't enjoying her life either. Her life was supposed to be with him. Until that happened there was no way that neither could truly be happy.

When they were younger, before Jean-Luc died, they had every detail of their lives together planned. They'd finish school then move back to New Orleans to be near their parents. They'd hopefully get jobs in their desired fields, him in architecture and her in social services. They wouldn't wait to have children. With both her parents and Jean-Luc close by they didn't have to.

Remy quietly chuckled to himself. They were so naive then. He was raising only one child and he was a handful. He and Ororo had planned on having at least four, no more than two years apart.

Remy shook his head at the thought. He'd surely have been driven crazy but he'd love every minute of it if Ororo was there to share it with him. But she wasn't.

Their lives took them to places they'd never imagined. He never went back to school to finish his degree. Instead he took over where Jean-Luc left off with the help of Marius. Basically, he funded charities where it was needed while making new money off of old money. When he wasn't doing that he was seducing women. He was a philandering philanthropist.

When Ororo walked out of his life so did his ambition. He felt worthless. Etienne was the only real value in his life. And he felt as if he'd fell short on that duty too. Their house wasn't a home. The large estate was full of things that little fingers shouldn't touch. Their tables were too big, their hallways were too long, their family too small.

And Ororo…as much as he'd tried for information from Jean or even Logan they couldn't give him any real answers. Somewhere in the last ten years she'd abandoned her hopes of helping people. She'd gone into the opposite direction. She worked as a finance director for a company that specialized in taking over struggling businesses, liquidating their assets, and then finally extinguishing their existence.

That was so unlike her. She was supposed to put things and people back together, not tear them apart. He used to take solace in numbers. They never changed. The answer was always the same no matter how many times the problem was solved. He often wondered if Ororo was doing the same thing. She never really cared for math and numbers. Why the sudden about face?

Logan had told him she wasn't the same ol' Ro she used to be. He wondered what else about her had changed. He wondered how much of the change was because of him.

Remy sighed. "What next, ma petit?"

* * *

The following morning Ororo finally knew without a doubt that words were a powerful tool. They made things happen; they manifested themselves into actions…sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. But most of the time a person just gets what she asked for. At least that's what she presumed as she sat at her office desk scanning spreadsheets on her computer for any mistakes.

She'd had no intent of actually working the weekend after telling Hank that she would. However, Remy's impromptu visit and declaration of his return the previous night changed her plans of staying locked up inside for the next two days.

After a night of sleepless tossing and turning there was no way she was just going to wait for him to arrive at her doorstep once again. Besides, she did have some work to catch up on; not much but enough to take her mind off of…him…off of everything.

"What are you doing here on a Saturday?" a masculine voice tinged with a hint of a Russian accent asked from her doorway.

"Good morning, Piotr. Just getting some work done," Ororo replied to her boss barely looking away from her screen.

"You didn't have that much to catch up on. Besides, have you forgotten that you have an assistant?" he asked.

His words got Ororo's undivided attention. He could tell that he'd opened the door and she was going to walk right through it when he saw her smirk.

"Oh," she hummed. "You'd prefer it to have been Ms. Pryde here instead of me?" she quirked a delicately arched white eyebrow and waited for his response.

"Be quiet, you. Get back to work," he said as he tried to give her a scolding look then immediately left her entry way.

Ororo let out a chuckle when she heard his office door shut. She'd always been perceptive of others' feeling if she wanted to be or not. And she'd noticed her boss's change almost immediately when she'd introduced him to her new assistant. She'd never seen the usually collected and rehearsed Chief Financial Officer tongue twisted before.

Piotr Rasputin was at least six foot five and built like a brick wall. To see him flustered over Katherine Pryde, a soft spoken waif of a woman that barely hinted at his shoulder amused Ororo to no end. She'd given him ample opportunity to ask the young lady out; having her carrier over memos that she herself could have easily emailed.

Ororo decided not to interfere anymore than doing that. If the mismatched pair was meant to be together it would happen on its own.

Ororo sighed. She was tired of looking at all the numbers. They weren't taking her mind off of anything. Quite the contrary, she was probably apt to make more mistakes due to her distractions. Thoughts of Remy and Hank interrupted her concentration. She needed an even bigger distraction.

She picked up her office phone and began to dial.

"Hey cuzzo," a sleepy voice answered.

Ororo smiled. "Don't tell me you're still sleeping."

"…was up late," he responded.

"Let me guess. Playing video games."

A soft deep laughter responded, "You know me."

"Think you can wake up long enough to hang out with your favorite cousin? Maybe lunch and a movie? My treat?"

"And some new kicks?"

"Don't push it."

"A'ight, a'ight, a'ight. You want me to take the train down there?"

"Nope. I'll head over that way. Be ready though!" Ororo said. It would have been easier for him to come to her but she wanted to use up as much of the day as she could.

"Okay," he drawled. "Later," he said as they ended the call.

Devin Munroe was the youngest of her cousins and the last still living at home. He was a senior in high school and he too would be leaving for college soon. That wasn't the only reason she wanted to spend time with him. He was a good kid, fun to be around with a great all around disposition. She'd like to say that it was her family's child rearing skills but the fact that some of her relatives were just miserable excuses for human beings squashed that theory.

Devin, with his striking good looks was humble, intelligent, as well as well-mannered, but with just enough edgy street smarts to take care of himself. He reminded her of another young man that she used to know…

An outing with Devin did the trick. She hadn't given much thought to Remy or Hank. That's the thing with teenagers; they always have something to talk about. Not only that, he kept Ororo up on the latest fads, music, and must-see movies, like the comedy they were currently watching.

The movie was campy, ridiculous, and something she'd never pick out on her own. Fortunately, it was Devin's choice and it was hilarious. They were in a matinee with hardly any people in the theatre. She could laugh as loud as she wanted. It felt good after the last couple of weeks of stress.

Just as that thought had entered then exited her mind she felt the vibration of her cell phone in her jacket pocket vibrate against her hip.

She and Devin were far enough up in the theatre's stadium seating that no one would be disturbed if she took a quick peek.

Another missed call to go along with all the other missed calls in the last few hours. Hank.

She'd call him back later.

* * *

Hank let out an exasperated sigh.

"Still no answer?" Trish asked.

"No, not yet," Hank answered as he closed his phone then set about busying himself with the test tubes and droppers in front of him.

There was no point in him not getting some work done too. He'd usually work on Saturdays before he'd met Ororo. Since then he'd taken off much to the dismay of his equally if not more so dedicated lab partner, Dr. Trish Tilby.

"Hank, I'm sure whoever it is you're trying to reach is fine," Trish said.

Hank didn't really discuss his personal life with colleagues but Ororo's behavior lately was bothering him. Trish was a woman; maybe she could give him some insight.

"Trish, what does it mean when someone, a man let's say," as if the other doctor wasn't bright enough to figure out to whom he was referring, "tells someone…a woman, that he loves her and she says it back then suddenly withdraws?"

Trish looked at Hank a little taken aback by is uncharacteristic topic of conversation but quickly regrouped. _This must be serious._ "I don't know. It can mean several different things," she surmised.

"For example?" Hank prodded anxiously awaiting her answer.

Trish's pink lips pursed in thought. The severe bun of her dark hair along with the dark rims of her glasses caused the ridges of her crinkled forehead to seem more pronounced. "It could mean that the admission has frightened her."

'_That could very well be,'_ Hank reasoned. _'Ororo wasn't the type to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Such a sporadic declaration could very well shake her up a bit.'_

Trish's continued analysis brought Hank from his own musings, "It could also mean that she didn't mean it. Just said it to be nice…"

Hank's brows furrowed. _'Could it be? We were making love. But it could have been an honest uninhibited response.'_

Trish noticed the concerned look on Hank's face. Perhaps she'd said the wrong thing. Dealing in the "what if" scenarios was something science required her to do until hard facts could be determined. However, it did not require her to account for human emotions.

She didn't want to hurt Hank with her callous words. Over the years she'd grown quite fond of Hank. He was much like she was, dedicated, meticulous, and reserved. They worked well together. She didn't want him to be more distracted than he already was. "But it could also be that she's just busy."

"Busy…" Hank repeated. "Yes, she did say she had some work to catch up on."

"Oh, so this is the case with you and your new lady friend?" Trish inquired.

Initially Hank was surprised by her question. He hadn't realized he'd voiced his last thought out loud. He was somewhat embarrassed and bristled a bit before answering, "Yes, it seems that the female mind is the most elusive to decipher."

Trish laughed. "We can be complicated."

"You aren't. You're quite…ordinary," Hank said as he turned his attention back to the beaker he'd just picked up. He didn't see the look of disappointment on Trish's face.


	8. Chapter 8

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 8

Remy stepped off of the elevator back into the lobby of Ororo's apartment building. He'd stood at her door knocking and listening for any sounds of movement inside for at least ten minutes before he accepted that she wasn't in there. It was only 8:30 in the morning. Where the heck could she be? Then again, he remembered that she was always an early riser. She could be anywhere in the city by now.

He spotted the doorman and thought he'd do some investigating. Hopefully he'd get some helpful information from the man.

"Excuse me," Remy said as he stepped out of the double doors and onto the patio. "Do you know Ms. Ororo Munroe."

The doorman looked at him skeptically. Remy wasn't the first guy to inquire about the lovely white haired tenant.

"Yes sir. I do."

"Do you know when she left?" Remy asked.

"No," the doorman said and turned away from Remy dismissively.

"You just get here then?" Remy asked.

The doorman huffed and faced Remy full on, "Look…sir," he said tersely, "I don't give out information about our tenants. And I especially don't give out information about Ms. Munroe. You aren't the first guy to come up here trying to pay me off for her apartment number or where she works or any of that. And if I were you I'd get out of here."

Remy raised his hands in an appeasing gesture, "I don't want any trouble, mon ami. I'm a close personal friend of Ms. Munroe."

The doorman eyed Remy suspiciously, looking him up and down. "Wait a minute. What's your name?"

"Remy LeBeau."

The doorman pulled a small leather bound notebook from his pocket and flipped through it. He grunted as he read through the notes. "Yeah, it seems Ms. Munroe does know you."

Remy smiled victoriously.

"She left instructions for us not to let you in." Remy's face fell. "Get out of here before I call the cops!"

"Merde, are you serious? You opened the door for me!" Remy said as he stared at the doorman.

"Yeah? Now I'm closing it," the doorman responded. It kind of pissed him off that he'd let Remy get by. Remy breezed through there like he'd been there a hundred times…and he was dressed nicely. "You stupid or something? I said to leave, buddy."

Remy turned and walked down the few steps to the sidewalk. Remy knew getting the woman back wasn't going to be easy but he honestly didn't think she'd make it so hard. He should have known better. "What the hell to do now?" he asked himself.

He could stand across the street and wait for her. It was almost 9:00am on a Saturday. No telling when she'd be back.

He only had one more day in New York before he'd have to be back in New Orleans and he wanted her to remember that he'd been there.

* * *

It was dusk dark when Ororo approached the steps of her apartment building and she was tired. Being with Devin had done the trick. Besides spending too much money and eating a ridiculous amount of fatty foods she'd managed to keep both Remy and Hank on the fringe of her thoughts.

"Good evening, Ms. Munroe," the young doorman greeted as he opened the door.

"Good evening, Rich, haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?"

The young man blushed. He always did around Ororo. "I'm interning now, so I'm just working weekend nights."

"That's good. Almost done. Yay!" Ororo waved her hands in a mock cheer.

"Yes…almost," he smiled. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he pulled out the bound notebook the previous doorman had given him. "Frank left a message for you. It says that LeBeau came by at approximately 8:45 this morning. He kicked him out."

Ororo frowned. She wasn't surprised but that didn't make her any less annoyed.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Munroe?"

"Sure it is. Nothing to worry about," she smiled. "Thanks a lot, Rich. I'll be seeing you," she said as finally stepped through the threshold of the building.

"You too, Ms. Munroe." He smiled and watched her walk to the elevator through the glass doors then turned back to face the sidewalk.

* * *

Ororo was glad to be home. Then again, being home without any other distractions or excuses only meant that she could no longer avoid the inevitable.

After digging her phone from her purse she threw it and her jacket onto the trunk she used as a coffee table and pressed the "missed calls" prompt. Of course Hank's name was the first to appear. She hit the "call" button and sighed. She sat on the couch then reached over and twisted the tiny knob of the lamp on the side table and listened to the digital ringing.

"Ororo…"

"Good evening, Henry."

* * *

There was one thing about New York that Remy did like; there was always a convenience store conveniently within a block or so. From 9:30 that morning to now he'd sat patiently on an overturned garbage can between Ororo's building and another building watching for any movement inside the fifth floor apartment while sipping on a liter of water and munching on trail mix.

A slow smile twisted his lips when the window he'd been watching all day finally illuminated. He stood and placed his water bottle on the ground and stretched his inactive limbs. Silently he prayed that no one was watching him or if they were that they weren't concerned enough to call the police. He picked up the garbage can then walked the few yards placing it under the second floor fire escape.

Slowly he maneuvered himself to a crouching position on top of the can waiting a second to steady himself before he stood. Anyone watching would think him stupid for what he was about to do. If he fell and cracked his skull he'd deserve it. Bending at his knees he threw all his effort in propelling himself up and grabbing the edge of the fire escape. He shut his eyes tight when the clank of the trash can echoed through the alley. When he was sure the noise was over he opened his eyes and let out a heavy breath as he once again gathered his energy and pulled himself up high enough to swing his leg onto the platform.

Remy wordlessly thanked his personal trainer as he pulled the rest of himself up and stood.

* * *

"How was work?" Hank asked tentatively.

"It was fine. I didn't stay the entire day," Ororo confessed.

For some reason her admission eased Hank's minds. "Oh?"

"I hadn't seen my little cousin Devin in a while. I thought I'd spend some time with him."

"I see…," Hank drawled as he let his mind connect things that he wasn't sure was relevant. "Ororo, if you want to spend time with your family it's fine. I don't mind."

Ororo immediately understood that Hank thought she'd lied about work…even though she had, it wasn't because of what he'd assumed.

"I know that, Henry," Ororo said. She turned towards the oversized window. She thought she'd heard something fall. Probably one of her plants had fallen again she thought as she stood and began to circle her couch moving towards the window. "But I had some work that I really wanted to catch up on. I just finished sooner than I thought I would," she finished as she reached the window.

Hank hummed his understanding. "So I'll see you tomorrow," he said hopefully.

Ororo saw her cringing reflection in the glass as she peered out onto her little terrace. One of her favorite newly repotted ferns had fallen and its dirt had spilled through the grates.

She had avoided Hank enough. There was no sense in what she was doing and it made her feel like an awful person. She was going to have to tell him the truth. Her mind and heart wasn't fully in the relationship. It would be better for them if she ended it before she did anymore damage.

"Henry, we need to talk," she said as she stood on the tiny step stool and unlocked her window. Ororo stepped down and slid the stool to the side when she realized that she was looking into a man's face.

Her reaction was delayed. There wasn't supposed to be anyone out there. When she realized that there was she let out a screech of surprise and began to back away.

"Ororo? Are you all right?" Hank asked very concerned.

Ororo was stunned into silence as she watched the window slide up, the phone still in her hand. She was about to scream again when a smirking head appeared shushing her.

"Ororo?" Hank asked again. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

Ororo watched Remy's longs legs enter followed by the rest of him, "Uuh…No. I'm fine," she said as she picked up a book and threw it at Remy. He'd scared the hell out of her. "Can I call you back?" she didn't wait for a response as she ended the call.

Remy bent and picked up the book, _Eat, Pray, Love: __One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, _"Planning a trip, chérie?"

"What the hell, Remy?" Ororo yelled. "You almost scared me to death!"

"You should be more careful...could've been anyone out there."

"There shouldn't have been anyone out there! More accurately, you shouldn't have been out there! You're not even supposed to be in this building!"

Remy placed the book on the windowsill before gesturing towards it, "Hence the back way in, ma petit."

"Leave!"

"Here we go again," he said as he walked to the couch and sat, "I waited all day and scaled a building, I'm not going to just leave."

"What do you want, Remy?" Ororo asked.

"Haven't we already had this conversation, chérie? Do you think we can move on to another topic?" He said has he leaned back and propped his foot on the trunk in front of him. He hadn't noticed the old trunk the other night but tonight he did. "You still have this old thing?" he asked as he took his foot off and leaned forward.

Ororo's eyes stretched wide as she watched him remove her purse, jacket, and magazines from the case. "What are you doing?" she asked as she moved kneeling next to Remy and began to put the things he'd taken off back on.

"Just want to see what's in it…"

"It's none of your business what's in it. This is my house," Ororo said as she slammed down the last magazine.

"It's _my_ trunk."

"You _gave_ it to me when you packed my things into it."

That was true. When her grandmother and aunt came for her clothes he told them to pack them into his trunk.

"Fine. It's yours," he relinquished.

Ororo visibly relaxed as she exhaled. "Now…will you leave?"

"Non. I came to talk to you, ma chérie. I'm not leaving until I do. All you have to do is listen… Please," he said when she didn't respond.

"Okay. Talk," she said as she sat on the couch and looked him straight in the eye. If all she had to do was listen to him…to all the things she'd heard before from him, Jean, and even Logan, she would then send him on his way.

Remy realized by the expression on her face that talking to her would be like talking to a brick wall. But even brick walls crumbled over time. "Ororo, I want to give us another chance." He shushed her when he saw her mouth open. "Like I said, chérie, we can't change the past. I know I hurt you and there's nothing I can do to change that. But I still love you, Ro…and I know that you still feel something for me too."

"How? How do you know that, Remy?" Ororo asked.

He inched closer, "Because we never had an end."

"You had a child with another woman! That was the end."

"That has nothing to do with how we feel about each other."

"You deceived me."

"Because I loved you. I didn't want you to leave me, chérie. Why won't you understand that?"

"I do understand. I just can't forgive it."

"Try…," he pleaded.

Ororo shook her head. God, how she wanted to; she'd never been happier than when she was Mrs. LeBeau. "Too much has happened. I have my own life now. You aren't' a part of it."

"Ro, please," he said.

Ororo couldn't look at him. She closed her eyes. She felt him breaking down her resolve. She shook her head, "No."

Remy dropped his head in defeat. What more could he do? He couldn't force her to accept his apology…to take him back. He heaved a breath, "All right, chérie. One more thing and I'll be on my way…"

"What is it?"

"A kiss," he said.

"What?"

"Just one. A good bye kiss. I'll get on my flight tomorrow and I'll know that we're done." He lied. He didn't intend for the kiss to be the end but the beginning. She still loved him and he was going to make her realize it.

Ororo's eyes darted to his lips and back to his eyes. Just one kiss wouldn't hurt, would it? Especially if it was a kiss goodbye...she knew she was lying to herself about why she was going to let this happen. She wanted to say yes. She'd missed his kisses, his pouty lips…the taste of him.

"Okay, just one then you go." Remy nodded. He struggled against the smile that fought to make its way to his face. He moved closer and leaned into her rim rod straight body. Ororo's hand between them halted his approach. "Just. One."

"Just one, chérie," he breathed.

Ororo inhaled deeply once their lips met. It felt as if something she'd been missing had finally come home. His tongue lightly urged her to part her lips which she did. It has been so long but never the less her stupid body immediately betrayed her. Her lips parted allowing him to deepen the kiss. She was putty in his hands, leaning back against the arm of her sofa when he leaned farther into her.

The feel of his hard chest teased her breast through the fabric of both their shirts. The thumb of his left hand slowly kneaded her hip as his other hand took hers in his and placed it around his neck. Ororo knew she should stop the kiss but it felt so good. He made her body tingle. She couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her lips which allowed him to deepen the kiss even further.

She could feel herself losing control. Her hands tangled and mussed his hair. She fought not to wrap her leg around his torso as she settled farther into the pillows covering her couch. She wanted so much more from him than she was willing to give herself. She had to stop this before it went too far, God how she wanted it to go too far.

Her mind was foggy with need when Remy pulled away. She hesitantly opened her eyes and was greeted with his dark lust filled orbs. He leaned forward once again and she tried to reconnect the kiss when he suddenly stood.

"Just one, chérie," he smirked knowing she wanted more.

Ororo felt the air deflate from her lungs. "Remy…"

"Do you want me, Ro?" He wanted her to admit it.

She nodded. She wanted him so bad.

"I'm yours…always, mon amour," he said as he sat and leaned into her placing a tender chaste kiss on her lips. He hoped he wasn't going to regret what he was about to say but he wanted all of her, not just a fling. "Tell me you still love me."

Ororo swallowed. He seemed so sincere. She could give in to him and be happy again. All she had to do was say yes. Why was it so hard to do?

The sound of Remy's phone cut through the thick silence in the tiny apartment. It wasn't a ring, it was more like a recording. It took Ororo a moment to realize it was a child's voice on the ringtone, "Papa, Papa, Papa…answer your phone! Papa, Papa, Papa…please come home!" it sang before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Remy sighed as he noticed Ororo's expression change. Her cold mask tinged with sadness was firmly back in its place. He sat up and reached for his phone clipped to his side.

"Etienne, mon fils," Remy greeted. Ororo could only hear one side of the conversation but she listened intently. "Tomorrow….Yes, I finished my work…Are you being a good boy?" She watched as Remy listened intently his eyes still on her all the while. She couldn't help the smile that played at her lips when he laughed at something the child had said. "I love you too…Good night," he said as he ended the call.

They sat in silence simply watching each other.

"You're a father," Ororo finally said.

"I am."

"Remy…I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't forgiven you. Every time I hear your name or see your face that hurt comes back all over again. I can't help the way I feel…"

"Nor can I, chérie."

"…And I don't think I'd ever be able to accept your child."

"I see." And he did see. If what she said was true there would be no way he'd have Ororo in his life. There was no way he'd put Etienne through what he'd gone through when Emma Frost had moved in with his father after his mother's death. He cringed at the comparison. Ororo wasn't like Emma. She wouldn't be so cold and callous especially towards an innocent child. Never the less, she'd resent him and he knew Etienne would feel that.

Remy stood and held his hand out to her. She looked at his hand and smiled as she placed hers in his. He pulled her up and into a smothering embrace. The ex-lovers stood for several moments trying to note every detail of the other, from body contours to the scent of shampoo and cologne.

Remy was the first to step away, "I guess this is our ending…"

"I guess so."

Remy walked backwards towards her door pulling her with him as he went. Once he'd reached the front door he cupped her face in his hands and looked deeply into her azure eyes. For the first time in a long time no words came to him. There was nothing left to be said. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. This was actually goodbye. The closure they both apparently needed.

"I'll always love you, Ororo," he finally said.

She nodded as he stepped away. Remy opened the door and walked out of her life.

* * *

The End.

Just kidding! There's plenty more to come.


	9. Chapter 9

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 9

Ororo lay in her bed staring out into the dark emptiness of her room. She'd just lost the love of her life all over again. Remy was finally out of her life for good. They both had the closure they needed to move forward. That fact didn't make it hurt any less. He was the first man besides her father that she'd loved. He'd quite possibly be the only one she'd ever be in love with.

It all seemed so unfair the way their lives had played out. And from where she stood there was no turning back. She knew his son was an innocent in the situation but it didn't change the fact that he was the flesh and blood reminder of the hurt she'd gone through. Looking into his small face at Jean's wedding brought back feelings she'd thought she'd been rid of. The years after the divorce she'd felt inadequate. She wasn't capable of taking care of her husband's needs; he'd looked for it somewhere else. What did the love they shared have to do with that fact? He'd broken his promise.

Firm knocks on the door made Ororo's heart to flutter with the anticipation. Most of the thoughts she'd just had all but vanished and only one remained…that it could be Remy. She jumped from her bed and went to the door just as another round of knocking began.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Henry. Is everything all right, Ororo?" he asked through the door?

Ororo let disappointment creep into her mind. She'd completely forgotten about Hank.

She opened the door, "I'm so sorry, Henry. I really did mean to call you back. I just forgot."

"Well, I thought something was wrong. You screamed…I was worried," he admitted. "And you didn't answer when I tried to call you back."

"I'm so, so sorry. I went to a movie with Devin and I forgot to turn the volume back on." Hank nodded. She used that time to quickly think of an explanation for her earlier actions. "A cat. A cat on the terrace frightened me," she fibbed. Hank arched a bushy brow. "I don't really like cats…their eyes…," she continued. It was one of those things that she hoped sounded so ridiculous that it had to be true.

"Ah…I see," Hank said. "Well, you did say you wanted to talk. I'm here," he smiled trying to keep his nervousness as to what she'd want to talk about from showing on his face. He did come over with the intent of checking on her but what she'd possibly want to talk about nagged him along with his concern for her.

"What?" she asked looking at him genuinely confused. They're conversation had been completely forgotten after Remy's appearance.

"Oh…yes…," she remembered. Ororo was in no condition to talk to Hank now. She needed to think but now was as good of time as any since she'd already made one life altering decision this evening. "Um…come in," she said as she stepped to one side. As Hank passed through the doorway her she couldn't help comparing his bulking form and the amount of space he occupied to that of Remy's slight build. "Have a seat."

Hank's smile was grim as he sat and looked up at her.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"No. Come sit, Ororo." She did. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked getting to the point.

Ororo let out a breath of anxiety. She had to tell him the truth. "I'm sorry, Henry."

Whatever it was Ororo was going to say he wasn't expecting that. "Sorry for what?"

Ororo turned and faced him fully and looked into the shining depths of his brown eyes. "I'm afraid I'm not good enough for you, Henry."

Hank's brows shot up in surprise. He definitely hadn't expected her to say that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…I'm not a good person, Henry," she said as she put her face in her hands and took a deep cleansing breath. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see his face when she finished saying what she was about to say. "I shouldn't have told you that I loved you."

"Oh…," Hank breathed as he sat farther back into the couch utter disappointment creasing his face.

Ororo looked up to see him looking off into the distance. "It's just that, I don't think I was ready to say it."

When Hank looked back at her there was only a slight look of disappointment and with it was one of hope. "You weren't ready to say it?" She shook her head. "Do you think…that maybe one day you will be?"

Ororo exhaled and smiled. _He's such a wonderful man._ "I don't know. I hope to."

Hank didn't want to lose her. He couldn't believe that this beautiful creature allowed him into her life, allowed him to talk to her, touch her. He was a self described ordinary man. He didn't have a lot of money. He wasn't what people usually called good looking. He wasn't the type of guy that people went out of their way to be around. She was quite possibly the only thing extraordinary about him. If she needed time he'd give her all she'd need.

"I'm afraid that I rushed things a bit in our relationship. We can just slow down a bit…take it slow."

"No, it's not that you're rushing me. It's just that…you know I've been married before…," she said.

"I do."

"It didn't end well. And…I guess my heart is still broken," she confessed as she took one of his beefy hands in hers. "I care about you deeply but I don't want to lead you on, Henry. My heart may never fully heal."

Her words hurt him but it was a risk he was willing to take. "Ororo, you are aware of how I feel about you. If you're willing, I want to be the one to help you heal. I want to be with you."

"I don't want to waste your time."

"Don't think me foolish, I understand everything you've said, Ororo. I'm an adult and this is a chance I'm willing to take."

Ororo nodded her head slowly. She'd let Remy disrupt her life. He'd turned it upside down and now he was gone. There was no reason why she shouldn't try to pick up where she'd left off before Jean's wedding. She was with Hank, a wonderful, brilliant man that was willing to give her all that she wanted and more. "All right."

* * *

Remy had reached the bottom of his third drink but was nowhere near drunk. His mind was in too much of a wreck to allow the liquor to penetrate. He knew it was a long shot that he'd walk away a victor this weekend but he'd still hoped. Now it seems that all hope is lost. Etienne would not be compromised. Tonight he was going to drink his troubles away then tomorrow go home and move on with his life.

He'd stepped into the closest bar he could find after getting out of the cab back to his hotel. It wasn't until he was completely inside that he realized that it was a strip club. The place was clean enough not to be considered a dive but dirty enough not to be considered classy. It didn't matter. They sold liquor. That's all he cared about at that moment.

After finding a table in a corner it hadn't taken long for a scantily clad waitress, about an hour past her prime to take his order. Bourbon. Straight.

He'd watched girl after girl take to the stage. He'd bedded prettier girls on a slow night in New Orleans. And without fail each girl would make a bee-line for him after their performance, asking if he'd like a private dance among other things which he'd politely declined.

He was tired of the show, if one could call it that. There was no imagination and not particularly entertaining. The women would be down to their thongs less than a minute into whatever song was playing. But he guessed that what the men lining the stage wanted to see…tits and ass.

Remy had seen enough and was about to pay his tab when the DJ announced "Mystique" next to the stage. She was about two shades too light of the mocha complexion he coveted. Her hair was obviously weaved waist length platinum hair. Light eye contacts. He snorted a laugh. She was too skinny. Her skin struggled to stretch across her implants. She looked ridiculous. She'd probably be a pretty girl without all the extras.

Remy wondered if she or her boss had seen Ororo on the street and tried to copy her flawless beauty. Of course they failed. Ororo was natural. And Perfect. And not his anymore. He ordered another drink and waited…

"Hi, handsome, how about a dance," Mystique said. At first she thought he hadn't heard her over the music however he nodded and stood much to her surprise. He'd rejected all the other girls but her boss made each ask. This guy was dressed in fine clothes…not like the usual businessmen in their off the rack suits. Whoever got this one was sure to make some good cash tonight. "Follow me," she smiled brightly as she took his hand and led him to the back of the club. She grinned smugly at the other girls as she passed.

"Right through here," she gestured to the last door of the narrow hall. Remy stepped through and looked around. Only a vinyl bench sofa and a table furnished the dim 10 by 10 room.

Mystique flipped a switch and the music from the DJ booth came blaring through a speaker somewhere in the room and colors began to dance from floor to ceiling.

Remy turned and sat. He knew the routine. He downed the drink and sat it on the small table and waited for the barely dressed copy. She straddled him and began rubbing her glittered body against him.

"You can touch me," she said into his ear.

"I thought there was no touching allowed."

She took his hands and placed them firmly on her gold lamé covered ass. "You, sir, can touch anything you want."

"Hmm…for how much?" he asked as he looked into her artificial blue eyes. They all usually had a price.

"For someone as fine as you, I'd do it for free. But my boss would want his money. So fifty for anything over the clothes…a hundred for anything under," she said as she ground herself harder into his groin.

Remy groaned. God, how he hated himself. _Pathetic._

"How about if I give you a hundred now then you meet me later." He dug his fingers into the firm cheeks of her ass.

Mystique laughed, "No way. I don't care how pretty you are. You could be crazy."

Remy moved his right hand and skimmed the brown skin of her arm before he placed it on her thigh, "I could be but I'm not. You can give your boss the cut of his hundred then you can keep the grand for yourself."

The dancer's eyes stretched wide. Remy could see the brown of her true eye color around the contacts.

Mystique stopped grinding long enough to worry her full bottom lip in contemplation. "You got some kind of freaky shit in mind? Cause I don't like that. You ain't gonna hit me or nothing," she said.

"Non," he said as he lifted his hand again and fingered the synthetic lock of white hair, "I just want to make love to you, ma petit."

* * *

Ororo pushed thoughts of Remy out of her mind as she focused fully on Hank. She sat straddling him on her bed feathering kisses over his bare chest. She was determined to once again move on with her life; this last week was just a speed bump. Hank loved her; he'd proved that tonight. There was no reason why she shouldn't try to love him back. She couldn't continue to hang on to the past.

Her slim fingers glided over Hank's flesh through the dense sweater of hair to his shoulders. She leaned over a whisper away from his lips, "Thank you for loving me," she said as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. With that kiss she changed her focus. She was done with the past. Her future lay before her.

* * *

Remy lay naked in his hotel bed. Mystique, who he later learned was actually Raven, had long gone. Not because he wanted her to leave but he was glad she had. Last night hadn't come close to the memories he had of Ororo no matter how tight he shut his eyes and wanted it to be her, it wasn't. Raven had actually told him that she had to get home so she wouldn't be too tired to go to church. He smiled as he remembered the thought. He supposed everyone needed their redemption. It was time for him to do something about his own.

It was time to move on with his life. Ororo had made that decision for them and it was clear. What he'd done was irreparable and he honestly didn't want it repaired. He loved his son and that was that. He wasn't going to deny his own flesh and blood for her or anyone else. It was a new day and he could finally tell himself he was done.


	10. Chapter 10

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Ten

A/N: I promise I'm not trying to torture anyone. I don't even think this story is very angsty...yet.

* * *

Life had been uneventful…back to normal. Everything was as it should be. Ororo's rational side told her that she shouldn't have such a strong sense of foreboding doom. She had reoccurring thoughts that the plane was going to crash. Other than being a tad bit bumpy during lift off and landing the ride was otherwise smooth. She and Hank had arrived in New Orleans prepared to spend two weeks of Christmas and New Year festivities with her family and friends.

And along for the ride was Devin. He hadn't seen his favorite uncle and aunt in over a year. Not only that, he'd be foolish not to take advantage of a free trip to New Orleans. He'd never been there before and only knew what he saw on television, partying and girls!

Ororo could sense Hank's nervousness as they waited in front of the airport for her parents to arrive. "Why are you so nervous, Henry? Have you forgotten that this was your idea? I would have been perfectly fine in New York."

"To begin with, I'm not the least bit nervous. I'm meeting your parents and friends for the first time. Why on earth would I be nervous?" Ororo laughed and squeezed his hand. "And I've spent the last ten Christmases in New York; it's a nightmare...too much traffic, too much crime, and too much snow. A change of scenery would do me good. And not only that! Trish's strange behavior has steadily begun to get on my nerves," Hank said.

The strange behavior he was referring to was Trish's sudden absentmindedness. It hadn't dawned on him that her sudden distraction could quite possibly be due to a man in her life until he noticed her tinted lips and attempts at more feminine attire and perfume. Initially he thought it would be good for her until she started requiring help with tasks she'd done numerous times on her own. But he couldn't fault her. Love causes one to do the most ridiculous things.

"There they are!" Devin announced from behind them.

Ororo released his hand and began to wave enthusiastically towards the cautiously approaching sedan. She saw Hank attempting to fix his perfect hair out the corner of her vision. "Everything will be fine, dear," she said to him giving him a reassuring smile.

"I know," he said returning her smile.

The car slowed in front of them and Ororo gave her mother an animated wave through the passenger side window. N'Dare beamed at her daughter and quickly jumped out as soon as David pressed the brakes.

"Ororo, sweetheart, I've missed you so much," she said as she gave her daughter a tight hug.

"I've missed you too, Mother."

N'Dare let Ororo go and reached for Devin. "Devin, when are you going to stop growing? And look at you…so handsome."

"Thank you, Auntie," he smiled.

"And you must be Henry," N'Dare said as she turned and faced the man standing next to her daughter. She hid her surprise well. Ororo had told her that Hank wasn't particularly tall but she wasn't expecting to be eye level with the man.

"Yes I am. I'm very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Munroe," Hank answered as he reached out and shook her hand. "And may I add that I see where Ororo gets her unique beauty."

N'Dare had grown her usually short cropped hair longer over the past couple of years. If Hank didn't know better he would have assumed that N'Dare was perhaps an older sister. Only the smile lines around her mouth and eyes creased her face. Other than that she was a flawless beauty. He once again contemplated his good fortune as he beheld these two women.

"Thank you, Henry. You may call me N'Dare," she smiled warmly.

David didn't bother rounding the car to greet the newly arrived couple. Instead he stood at the rear of the car with the trunk open not so inconspicuously eyeing the man that had arrived with his daughter. _Too short._

Devin approached David, "If looks could kill," he laughed. "He's an all right guy, Uncle David. Don't be too hard on him."

David looked at his nephew giving him a mischievous smirk, "I'll talk to you later."

The teen laughed knowingly, "A'ight," then set about putting the luggage in the trunk. His uncles, brothers and male cousins weren't known for going easy on the guys brave enough to knock on their doors. But neither were his aunts, sisters, and female cousins for the girls that dared called their homes…his own mother had to be the worst.

"David," N'Dare said. "Get over here. We have a minute before they rush us off."

Ororo hadn't told Hank anything about her father. Just that he could seem intimidating but he was actually a very kind man. At this moment, David didn't _seem_ intimidating to him. He was absolutely without a doubt intimidating. Hank held his hand out to David and smiled as best he could. David looked down at his hand for a moment before taking it. Both men squeezed probably a little harder than necessary.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Munroe."

David only nodded his response before he looked to his daughter whose grin was ridiculously stretched across her face.

"Daddy!" Ororo greeted as she stepped to him throwing her arms around his waist.

David squeezed his little girl back. He heard his wife suggest that she and Hank give Devin a hand putting the rest of the luggage in the truck. David took the opportunity to properly greet his daughter. "How's my little girl?"

"Great, Daddy. I told Mother that you didn't have to pick us up."

David barely smiled but it was genuine. "You know your mother, besides Devin is staying with us," he paused briefly before getting to the point. "What's with this guy?" he asked as his eyes darted towards the back of the car. He'd heard all about Hank from N'Dare but he and his daughter usually kept their conversations limited to safe topics like religion and politics never daring to tread into the tumultuous territory of relationships. And from what N'Dare said this guy may be the one. Still…he wasn't so sure.

"I don't know. He's a good guy…I like him."

"You must to bring him home."

Ororo only smiled in response. There wasn't really anything to add.

"All done! Let's go!" N'Dare said as she approached the two, Hank behind her.

David took notice as both he and Hank reached for the passenger doors; David the front, Hank the back and opened them for their significant others.

"Where to?" N'Dare asked once they were all inside and making their way towards the interstate.

"Oh, I thought that Hank and I would go ahead and check-in at the hotel first," Ororo answered from her seat between Hank and Devin.

An awkward moment of silence hung in the interior of the car before N'Dare once again spoke up. "Well, I certainly hope you're coming for dinner."

"We wouldn't miss it, Mrs. Munroe…N'Dare. Ororo has informed me that you're a wonderful cook," Hank said.

"The best," Ororo bragged.

* * *

Ororo noticed Hank's nervousness was back once dinner was over. She couldn't understand why. During dinner he made easy conversation, mostly with his mother about where he was from and the type of work he did.

Ororo was slow to leave him alone in the living room with her father but her mother had asked her to help with the dishes. It wouldn't take them long. Devin made sure all the bowls and platters were empty before leaving the table.

David sat staring ahead at the evening news anchor before flipping the channel from more bad news. He got enough of that at the paper. He'd worked for the New Orleans News Journal for over ten years now and it seemed that the news never got any better. And he could tell by the way Hank was fidgeting it was most likely going to get worse.

"Mr. Munroe, if I could speak to you for a moment...," Hank began.

David gave Hank his full attention, "You're old."

Hank was caught utterly off guard but quickly regrouped. "Yes, I'm a bit older than Ororo…"

"Fifteen years."

"Yes, that's right, but I assure you my age only confirms my cautiousness. I do not take the prospect of marriage lightly," Hank explained logically.

David hummed his response and slightly nodded.

"I also assure you that I love your daughter very much and with your permission I'd like to ask her to marry me," Hank finished and waited for a response.

"You do know that she could very well say no?"

"I do. I'm aware that her first marriage didn't work out well and that she was very hurt."

David was surprised that Ororo had shared even that much with this man. Ororo was very much like him. She wasn't one for sharing her emotions. She wasn't like that until the catastrophe that was Remy LeBeau tore through her life.

David eyed Hank. He wasn't anything close to Remy. This guy wasn't particularly charming. He didn't have that devil be damned smile. And there was no way he'd be capable of hurting his daughter.

"As long as you know…you can ask her if you like," David finally responded.

"Thank you, Mr. Munroe," Hank smiled.

"Call me David," he said as he extended his hand.

* * *

Ororo was surprised to see that her father had warmed up to Hank. It wasn't exactly as if they were being chummy but David acknowledged Hank when he spoke, shook his hand without a menacing growl when they left to go back to the hotel and had even called him "Hank".

Hank dared a glance over at Ororo before putting his eyes back on the road as he navigated turns instructed by the rental car's GPS. "Your parents are delightful," he said.

"My mother is delightful. My father is…less than so," she laughed into the darkness.

"He's like you said he was. He's fine once you get to know him," Hank responded.

Ororo turned her blue eyes toward him only able to see his silhouette in the dim light. "And you got to know my father?" she asked incredulously.

"No. I wouldn't go that far but I do understand him. He's a man of facts, like myself. He doesn't find idle conversation necessary when there are larger matters that need attention."

"Really? And what would those larger matters be?" Ororo asked truly curious at Hank's cryptic words.

Hank smiled, "You."

They drove the last few blocks in silence. Ororo wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore. And Hank was sure that the car wasn't the proper place to propose.

"Home sweet home," Ororo said as they parked at the entrance of the hotel. She got out and walked slowly to the door as she waited for Hank to handover the car to the valet.

She noted Hank's stride as he approached her. His nervousness had seemed to come back if his inability to make eye contact was an indicator. She didn't want to read too much into it but that want didn't supersede that she knew exactly what was going to happen. All signs pointed towards a proposal. She didn't know how much time she had before he did but she had some serious thinking to do.

* * *

Ororo barely got any sleep the previous night. Her mind wouldn't turn itself off. She sat at the small table in front of the picture window picking at the food room service had delivered. She was tired and all she really wanted was the coffee. A busy day lay ahead for her and Hank. Lunch with Jean and Scott, a visit to her parents and a day of sightseeing with Hank and Devin, and then after all of that they'd all have dinner with Logan and Mariko.

Hank opened the bathroom door and stepped out of the steam clad in only his complimentary white robe. Ororo was glad she'd showered earlier. He always somehow managed to use all of the hot water.

She almost let a memory of showers with Remy creep into her thoughts but pushed it away. She was getting better at doing that. Having Hank in New Orleans did help curtail those thoughts unlike the last time.

"I ordered breakfast," she smiled as she looked over at Hank, "your favorite breakfast guilty pleasure…French Toast."

"You're magnificent," he said as he stood next to the bed looking over at her. She was an absolute vision in the first light of the morning. Her freshly washed hair fell in delicate curls blending flawlessly with her own white robe. Her skin was free of makeup and yet she was still beautiful. He didn't want to wait any longer. Why prolong the inevitable?

Hank dug through his carry-on case and retrieved the small black velvet box. He slipped it into his pocket and took a deep cleansing breath before he turned to the woman before him. He sat at the table and once again gathered his resolve.

"Ororo, you know how I feel about you," he said.

'Here we go,' Ororo thought to herself. She was hoping that she'd have a bit longer but she supposed now was as good of time as any.

"Yes, I do, Henry," she said forcing a smile to her lips.

"I spoke to your father last night and asked him if it would acceptable to ask you for your hand in marriage. I'm pleased to say that he gave me his blessing," he then got down on one knee and presented the small case to her. "I wanted to wait until Christmas but…why not now?" he said with a gentle smile.

"Oh, Henry…I care deeply for you, I do but…," she said as she reached out and stroked his cheek.

"Before you answer…I know that you're not ready to say that you love me. I've accepted that. But knowing that you do care deeply, I'll do everything possible to earn your love…no matter how long it takes."

"Oh, Henry," she said once again as she took the box. "All right...I'll marry you."

"Really?" he asked a tad bit of surprise tinted his voice.

"Yes…really," she confirmed with a nod. Her answer almost came to a surprise to herself. But in that split second she realized that he was offering her all the things she wanted. She wanted stability, someone to share the simple things with…a family. She'd be thirty-one in a few months. It was time to start living her life instead of waiting for some long lost fantasy to come true. Life didn't just happen. Sometimes effort has to be put forth.

* * *

End Note: I know everyone is like, "What the heck!" It's not like I didn't warn that Hank was going to ask...and it's not like I didn't warn that she'd most likely say yes. lol But BRIGHT SIDE!She's back in NOLA! lol

The next chapter is almost finished. I'm having fun writing this story and I'm pretty much posting as soon as I finish a chapter. An outline has been made. I'm following it...for now. But always keep in mind this is a Remy/Ro story, even if it doesn't seem like it, and there absolutely under any circumstances be another sequel. lol That is all.


	11. Chapter 11

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 11

Jean and Scott were already seated inside the restaurant. Ororo had told Jean to just pick somewhere and the place she'd chosen specialized in authentic Cajun cuisine, one of the first of its kind in the area. Ororo tried not to read anything into her best friend's choice. They were in New Orleans after all. Besides, Hank would probably enjoy it.

The newly wedded couple stood immediately when they saw their friend approaching. They hadn't seen each other since the wedding. Of course they'd had their usual long distance conversations but it was always better to be in each other's company.

Jean was first to wrap her friend in a tight hug. She missed Ororo and something about the Holidays always made Jean crave her family and friends more. Being so far away in Boston wasn't easy and this time of year was the only time she'd have everyone she cared about in the same vicinity.

"Hey, Bright Lady," Jean squealed using Ororo's online alias as a greeting. "I've missed you so much!"

"Me too, Ginger Phoenix," Ororo said doing the same in return.

The lady's squeezed each other tightly as the men looked on patiently.

"Scott," Ororo said releasing Jean before stepping towards him giving him too a hug and kiss on the cheek, "you look great. Married life suits you."

"Thank you, Ro. And yes it does," Scott replied as he stepped away from her and looked expectantly at Hank.

"Henry, please meet Scott and Jean Summers, two of my dearest friends," Ororo said gesturing at the pair before her.

"Nice to meet you, Henry," Scott said as he reached out to take Hank's proffered hand.

"The pleasure is mine. And please call me, Hank. Ororo prefers my given name," Hank said. "Jean," he greeted, as he turned his attention to the cute redhead, taking her hand in his, "I've heard so much about you."

Jean wanted to tell him that she'd barely heard anything about him but decided better of it. She didn't want her best friend to hate her and have the wrath of her husband to contend with on top of that. "And I about you," she lied.

"Please sit." Scott gestured towards the table. He waited until everyone was seated before he continued, "I ordered appetizers. I hope you don't mind."

"No not at all. I'm starving." Ororo replied.

At that moment the waitress appeared with two more glasses of water and menus…her grin plastered across her face and ready to serve the new arrivals. "Afternoon! We been waiting on you!" she chirped. Her southern accent was thick. She'd obviously lived in the area her whole life.

Ororo missed hearing it. Jean's accent only consisted of a few words and sayings she'd picked up along the way. Her parents had moved to New Orleans from the east coast when she was ten. What little she did have was hidden to accommodate her new city. Scott wasn't from the area, hailing from Colorado. He'd only attended college there.

"I'll give you a minute to look at the menus but do you know what you want to drink in the mean time?" she asked as she handed the menus to Hank and Ororo.

"Water is fine," Ororo replied as she accepted her menu. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Jean's eyes became the size of saucers. She'd noticed the gold diamond solitaire ring gracing Ororo's finger.

"Water will do me well also," Hank said as he opened his menu oblivious to the interaction that was about to take place back and forth across the table between the trio of friends.

Ororo looked over at Jean and gave her a shy smile, slightly shrugging her shoulders.

Jean looked at her disbelievingly before giving Scott a slight nudge and a pointed look in the direction of Ororo's finger once she'd gotten his attention. The usually stoic features of Scott's face gradually morphed from slightly confused to surprise.

"Everything looks so good," Hank said from behind his menu. "What do you all recommend?"

A brief moment of silence eclipse his question before Jean spoke up, "The waitress said the Gumbo was really good today. Isn't that what you prefer Ororo?"

Ororo placed her menu on the table and folded her hands in her lap out of sight. She wasn't going to play Jean's game. Everyone was well aware that was sometime a favorite name Logan liked to use for Remy, "That sounds delicious actually."

"I bet it does," Jean said. Scott silently scolded his wife with a menacing look that she blatantly ignored.

"It seems that we're not the only ones that have big news," Jean said. "I'm pregnant. What about yours?" she asked accusingly.

Hank laughed. Ororo had told him of Jean's outlandish antics but didn't expect to witness them so soon into their initial meeting. "I take it you've noticed the engagement ring," Hank said as he reach over and took Ororo's hand in his own.

Ororo finally spoke up, "Henry proposed this morning. I said yes," she smiled pointedly at Jean.

"Congratulations," Scott said. "This is big news."

"I think it should be us that congratulate you," Ororo said. "But I have to admit, I had an idea…Jean complained of not feeling wells a few weeks that."

Scott smiled, "I had an idea too."

"Well, I had no idea about anything," Jean said obviously still referring to her friend's engagement.

"Oh, Honey, the mother is always the last to know," Scott said as he wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her trying his best to keep his wife's raw emotions from surfacing. He didn't know if he was going to survive this pregnancy. Jean was already what some considered a "firecracker" but the hormone changes were certainly not going to help matters.

The waitress reappeared and began placing the appetizers on the table. "Y'all ready to order yet?"

Scott quickly spoke up, "Yes, I'll have the grilled shrimp and my wife the seafood salad." He forced a smile as he handed his and Jean's menus back to her.

Hank still oblivious to the tension amongst them ordered the suggested gumbo and side salad for he and Ororo before looking at the dishes placed in the center of the table. "This looks delicious. What is it?" he asked to no one in particular.

Jean pointed to one of the baskets, "This is fried gator. Those are good aren't they, Ororo?" she asked sweetly.

Ororo exhaled a breath. Jean wasn't going to stop but she was going to handle her best she could. Jean knew it was one of her favorite dishes Remy had introduced her to so long ago. "Yes," Ororo said as she picked up her fork and poked one of the tasty morsels, "I love these." She then proceeded to dip them in the honey mustard sauce and turned towards Hank, "Taste?"

Jean sat back in her seat a slight pout on her face as she watched Ororo feed Cajun food to this man…the wrong man.

Lunch was otherwise uneventful…as far as Hank was concerned. Scott on the other hand thought he was going to have an aneurysm several times before finally being able to pay the bill. Which he gladly paid for all of them just to cut down on the amount of time it would take the waitress to separate the checks.

"It was good finally meeting you both," Hank said as he shook Scott's sweaty hands. Hank tried to inconspicuously wipe his hand on his coat before reaching for Jean's limp fingers.

Jean hugged Ororo, "I'll talk to you tonight," she whispered.

Ororo stepped back and eyed her friend grimly, "I look forward to it."

"Jean, we are not getting involved," Scott said as he pressed the ignition button of the car.

Jean was already on the phone. "How can you say that? She's our friend and she's making a huge mistake!"

"She is our friend," Scott stressed, "but it's her life. She's an adult… Besides, how do we know she's making a mistake? It's been ten years and he seems like a nice guy."

Jean shushed him as she began to speak into the phone, "Ro's engaged!"

Scott shook his head as he pulled out of the parking lot. He was sure that the child his wife was carrying was going to either be a complete handful or so used to dramatics that only impending doom would rattle it. Scott was hoping for the latter. There was no way he'd survive two Jeans.

"…to the guy she's been dating. He asked her to marry him and she said yes!" Jean continued into the phone. "What are we going to do about it?" she listened. "What do you mean not a damn thing? Did you hear me?" she growled into the receiver. Scott realized then it was Logan that she'd called. "Some help you are!" she said as she closed her phone ending the call.

She sat fuming not knowing what to do with herself. Suddenly she flipped the phone back open and pressed a few buttons.

Scott decided to watch. When she was like this there was nothing he could do.

"By the way, I'm pregnant. You and Mariko are going to be the godparents," she said then quickly closed the phone again.

She looked over at Scott and rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face. She really couldn't stand him right now. Him or Logan. Or Hank…or Ro. Everyone just plain made her sick.

Ororo, Hank, and Devin sat in comfortable silence as they made their way to Logan's house. When Devin had found out there would probably be Japanese food involved, courtesy of Mariko, Ororo quickly realized no one was going to pry him from the backseat of the rented sedan. She was sure the hosts wouldn't mind. They both seemed to enjoy cooking and feeding others.

She wondered how Logan would take the news of her engagement…or had taken the news. She was sure Jean had already spilled the beans. Logan mostly kept his thoughts to himself but she knew he had one and it worried her that she most likely would never know what it was. Logan had wisdom that he didn't need college for...as if he'd lived many lives. She valued his opinion.

But not as much as she valued her father's, Ororo was happy that her father seemed genuinely pleased when they presented him with the news of their engagement; although she was a bit thrown off by her mother's hesitant reaction. N'Dare seemed to like Hank very well yet she seemed troubled. She'd hid it well but Ororo knew it was still there.

They didn't stay long. Devin was all ready to go when they'd arrived. But Ororo was sure she'd have plenty of time to talk to her mother. She wanted her mother's support. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get it from Jean.

Speak of the devil…Jean's fiery hair entering Logan's home was the first thing Ororo saw as they approached the quaint house. Her stomach flip-flopped. She hoped that Jean was over the initial shock of the engagement.

Ororo took surveillance of the cars outside. She didn't admit to herself that she was making sure that Remy wasn't there, even when she let out a sigh of relief when she realized that he wasn't. Only Scott and Jean's rental car, Mariko's mini-van, and Logan's truck were parked outside. It wasn't her idea to have the dinner or was it her home. Her friends could invite anyone they wanted. However, it was rarely the case that they'd purposely put the ex's in the same room unless absolutely necessary.

"This is it," she said.

"All right!" Devin said enthusiastically from the back not waiting for the adults as he opened the door and got out stretching his long limbs. "I'm starving!"

"What's new?" Ororo said as she got out of the car and stood next to him.

Devin draped his arm around his favorite cousin. "What can I say? I'm a growing boy."

Hank rounded the car listening to the bantering duo. He smiled. He couldn't wait to be a part of this family. His family was not very close and he longed to have that Norman Rockwell picturesque family in his life. He still couldn't believe that soon he'd have everything he wanted. "Shall we?" he asked.

Ororo smiled and untangled herself from Devin before stepping over towards Hank and took his hand in hers, "Sure."

Before they could make it up the steps Logan was already standing on his large porch with an unreadable expression on his face. His brows were slightly furrowed and a half smoked unlit cigar was firmly gripped in the corner of his mouth. Ororo was sure if he was going to smile or rip somebody's head off.

"Good evening, Logan," she said as they approached, cautiously testing the still waters of her friend.

"How's it going, Ro?" he said. A tiny smile played across his lips. "Heard any good news lately?"

Ororo mirrored his smile. Jean had already told Logan… "Something about a baby," she said waving it off nonchalantly.

Logan laughed as he stepped forward and wrapped Ororo in a strong hug. "You know she's crazy, right?" he said softly into her ear.

"That's why I love her," Ororo said as she stepped back. "Logan this is Devin, my nephew."

Logan shook Devin's hand, "Tighten ya grip. You shake like a girl."

"Um…yes, sir," the teen replied trying to tighten his grip around Logan's beefy hands.

"Work on it," Logan said as he pulled his hand back and focused on Hank.

"This is Henry…my fiancé," Ororo said.

Logan nodded as he stuck his hand out, "Pleased to meet ya."

"Please call me Hank," Hank said as he grabbed Logan's hand.

"Hank…" Logan repeated tightening his grip further when Hank tried to end the greeting. "Ro, why don't you and the kid go on in and find Mariko."

Ororo only hesitated briefly before leading Devin inside the house. Logan was Logan and Hank might as well get to know him.

"Fiancé, huh?" Logan said.

"Yes."

"Ro's like my sister. A lotta people 'round here love her," Logan said somehow making the simple sentence sound menacing. They were about the same height and Logan used it to his advantage eyeing the man that had seemingly captured his friend's heart intensely.

"I assure you, I do as well," Hank said.

Logan nodded finally letting his hand go. "Come on in. Meet the family."

Ororo couldn't believe how well dinner was going. Logan's little sister was doing a fantastic job of keeping Jake and little Amiko occupied in the other room. But most of all, Scott was doing a fantastic job of keeping Jean under control.

Jean was obviously trying to be on her best behavior. Ororo didn't know what he'd promised his wife but she'd have to remember to go halvsies on whatever it was.

Mariko was just placing the rich looking double chocolate cake on the table when a voice came from the entrance of the dining room drawing the occupants' attention.

"Looks like Remy almost missed the party."

"Don't you ever knock, Gumbo?" Logan said.

"You know the answer to that question," Remy said as he moved farther into the room stopping to kiss Mariko on the cheek.

Scott looked at Jean disbelievingly. He couldn't believe she'd called Remy to crash their dinner.

"Remy, we still have plenty," Mariko said before she realized what she was saying. Remy was like family and not to offer him food like she always did would be impolite. "Where is Etienne?" Mariko asked.

"He and Ginny already found the kids," his eyes no longer on Mariko but across the table on the men sitting next to Ororo. "We just finished doing some Christmas shopping and I just stopped by to see if the kids wanted to go out for some ice cream."

Jean looked at Scott with a smug expression and mouthed a silent "See!"

"Yer sure about that?" Logan asked eyeing Jean. She almost threw her hands up in defeat.

"Positive," Remy said distractedly. "So, is anyone going to introduce me to the unfamiliar faces? Ro?"

"Oh…um, yes," she said trying to steady her voice. "Remy, you remember Devin?"

Remy's brows rose with recognition, "Oui…almost grown up."

Devin smiled politely. He didn't have any recollection of the tall auburn haired man in front of him.

"And uh…" Ororo stammered. "This is Henry."

The lack of complete introduction was obvious to everyone in the room, especially Remy. "Just Henry, huh?" he asked.

"No, Dr. Henry McCoy…my fiancé," Ororo said then looked down into her lap and fingered the gold engagement ring on her finger.

Remy was stunned silent.

Hank stood and rounded the table to greet Ororo's friend. He really wanted them all to like him. "Remy, is it?" he asked.

Remy took the man's hand, "Oui, Remy LeBeau…Ro's ex husband."


	12. Chapter 12

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twelve

A/N: Sorry I took so long to post this chapter (And it's mostly filler)! But the next chapters are going to come quick. The next 8000 words have been written and I had to make sure I was heading in the right direction. Thank you for your patience. Your reviews. Your Private Messages! OH! There's a bit of French that Remy speaks but I don't think I'll translate it. Google it. lol

* * *

"Excuse me?" Hank asked. He'd clearly heard what the man said however the unexpected announcement simply caught him off guard.

Hank's surprise and delayed response gave Remy a moment to compose himself. To say he was shocked was an understatement. No one had mentioned a fiancé or even that she was seeing anyone. Not long ago she was pinned beneath him on her couch and she certainly did not utter a word of a lover or fiancé.

"I'm Remy…Ro's ex-husband," Remy repeated then smiled. "Nice to meet you, Henry."

Hank cleared his throat and forced a smile in return, "Hank…call me Hank. And the pleasure is mine," he said as he pulled his hand away.

"Well, is this awkward enough?" Remy said his smile still in place as he looked over at Ororo with questioning eyes.

"Just a bit," Hank said laughing nervously.

"Congratulations to you both," Remy said as he looked between the couple.

Hank stood staring up at the man before him. He didn't know if he should feel good that Ororo had chosen someone like him after being with someone like that. This guy was tall and had model good looks. Hank could tell when Remy smiled showing his perfect teeth that he was a charming guy. He probably had a lot of friends, a lot of women, and by the looks of his clothes…a lot of money… If Hank was the type of person to hate, he'd certainly hate this guy.

"Thank you…in more ways than one," Hank said as he returned to his seat wrapping his arm around Ororo's shoulders possessively.

The already uncomfortable atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense and still. Even Devin's loaded fork froze midway towards his mouth. Remy's smile faded. A_What the fuck was that supposed to mean?_

Ororo controlled the air that wanted to rush out of her lungs. She looked at Hank and wondered why he'd even say such a thing. He'd never shown any jealousy before. Now he sat staring at Remy with a Cheshire grin. It was ugly and plastic. Ororo saw the false security behind it.

Logan placed his napkin on the table thinking he'd have to keep his friend from pummeling the new guy. He thought if Remy did the guy damn sure deserved it. Ororo clearly hadn't warned him about how things worked around these parts. Never mess with a man's money, his pick-up, and damn sure don't mess with a man's woman. And Logan knew that this fella thought Ro was his…but he hadn't cleared that with Remy.

_Oh hell. _Scott was ready to throw himself in front of his wife to protect her and their unborn child. He'd been around Logan and Remy long enough to know that they didn't start trouble but they damn sure didn't try to stay out of it. Scott had his share of bruised knuckles and broken eye glasses to prove it. But by the look on his wife's face, she was ready to help the men tear the walls down. Fortunately he was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Etienne and Jake entered the room followed closely by Ginny.

"Papa, did they say it was okay for Jake to come?" Etienne asked focusing solely on his father.

"Yeah," Logan quickly spoke, "get outta here." The sooner he could get Remy out of the less likely the cops would have to be called.

"Ororo!" Ginny squealed as she rounded the table. Ororo's already overwrought nerves made her jump at the sound of the high pitched tone. Ginny was in front of her within a second. "I ain't seen you in foreva," she said in her thick Bayou accent genuinely delighted to see the woman sitting in front of her.

Ororo couldn't believe this was little Ginny. The bratty little kid that had gone out of her way to get on every nerve Ororo had was almost an adult. The girl before her had to be at least seventeen years old now. "Ginny, yes, it has been a long time," she said as she stood and hugged the teen. "How have you been?"

The teen shrugged, "Same ole thing. Nothin' change much 'round he'a. How 'bout you?"

"Same ole thing," Ororo repeated wishing it were true. She was about to ask the girl about Camille. Camille had raised Ginny and most of her other grandchildren. She'd even taken care of Remy the best she could when his mother had abandoned him before he went to live with the LeBeau's.

"Come on, Ginny. Time for us to go," Remy said. He needed to get out of there. It was one thing that he and Ororo had decided it wasn't going to work out between them but it was a whole different animal to watch her be with someone else. He wasn't ready for that.

"Excuse me, Remy?" a deep voice called out once the group had reached the opening of the dining room, "mind if I tag along?" Devin asked much to Ororo's surprise.

Remy turned to look at the boy. He couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips in spite of the thoughts swimming around in his head. Devin's question was directed at him but his eyes and shy smile was on the girl next to him.

Remy looked at Ginny. He could see why the boy would want to follow her. She was a pretty girl…wild shoulder length tight sandy curls haloed smooth caramel skin and sparkling hazel eyes all on a petite frame filled out by southern cooking. "Fine wit' me if your big cousin says it's okay."

"Devin, how are you going to get back to the house?" Ororo asked.

"Ro, I'll make sure he gets home. He'll be all right wit' me. Ya know that," Remy said.

Ororo looked back at her cousin and couldn't say no to the wide eyed pleading expression on his face. "Fine…," Devin was out of the seat before she could finish her sentence, "but don't be too long!"

"You got it, cuz!" Devin said as he skirted around the occupied chairs to stand with the group; to stand with Ginny would be more accurate. The two teens smiled shyly at one another as they waited on the adults to finish their conversation.

"Ms. O…, ma'am?" a small voice hesitantly cut through the awkward tension in the room, "would you like to come too?"

Jake jumped up and down enthusiastically and clapped his hands. "Yes! Auntie O! You should come too! It'll be so much fun!"

Remy looked down at his son and remembered the conversation he'd overheard between Etienne and Jake. His son wanted Ororo to be his mother. He'd have to sit down and talk to him and tell him that was never going to happen.

"Um…no, sweetheart, not tonight," Ororo said looking at the boy. He looked so much like his father. She absently wondered what his mother looked like. Was she pretty? Of course she was. Ororo exhaled and reached for Hank's hand trying to take comfort in the man that she knew would never hurt her.

"Tomorrow?" Etienne asked.

"Um…well, I don't think so." Ororo answered.

"Etienne, Ms. Munroe came a long way to visit her family. She's too busy," Remy explained trying his best to not hurt his son's feeling.

However, Etienne, much like his father did not easily accept "no" as an answer, "Ms. Munroe, when you're not too busy will you come to my house?" Etienne looked at Ororo with hope painfully written on his face.

"Oh, Ro…look at that face. Of course she'll come by and see you before she leaves," Jean said smiling brightly. She didn't care what was going on with Remy and Ororo, her maternal nature was at its peak with her pregnancy and there was no way she was going to disappoint her god son.

Ororo looked across the table at Jean with stretched eyes. She would have kicked her if she weren't fully aware the crazy redhead would certainly kick her back.

"Let's go!" Remy yelled over the boys' shouts of delight. He had a lot of drinking to do later and the sooner he got out of there the sooner he could get started.

"Remy, I'll call you and we can set something up at your place…all of us! It'll be fun," Jean said.

Remy nodded as he guided the boys in front of him out of the dining room. Ginny and Devin had already exited. "Good night."

"It was nice meeting you," Hank said politely.

"Va t'empaler encule," Remy replied under his breath before disappearing through the doorway.

* * *

The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Not for Ororo's lack of trying. Hank apparently wasn't in a talkative mood. He'd just told her he was tired as he undressed then laid in the bed. His back was to her. His eyes were closed but she could tell he wasn't asleep.

He was obviously bothered by something and Ororo could only guess it was meeting Remy. He was fine before that. And even though she'd done nothing wrong she felt guilty.

Ororo put the book she'd been reading onto the nightstand and turned off the light. She lay on her side and nuzzled close to Hank planting a tiny kiss behind his ear as she stroked his arm.

"Henry?" Silence. She kissed him again as she nudged his shoulder back towards her. She knew he wasn't asleep and she wasn't going to let him ignore her. "Henry?"

"Hmm…," he finally acknowledged.

"Don't you want to celebrate our engagement?" she asked sweetly peppering him with another kiss, this time on his chest.

"We celebrated this morning," he said unenthusiastically.

Ororo sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hank felt silly, childishly silly…and insecure. He didn't want to admit that but he knew he had to. He looked up at Ororo through the darkness. "You didn't tell me your ex was so handsome or that you still kept the same friends." He waited for her to say something, when she didn't he continued, "Actually you haven't told me much about him at all or what happened between you for that matter."

Ororo wasn't surprised that this was about Remy. "No I haven't."

Hank felt her move away settling more onto her own side of the bed. "If we're to be married then I'd like for you to be able to open up to me about it."

Ororo lay quietly looking up into the nothingness. "There's nothing to open up about. We married. We divorced. Jean, Logan and Scott were his friends first. So now we're reluctant friends. End of story.

I'm tired," she said turning on her side mirroring Hank's earlier position.

He looked towards her; his bushy brows furrowed contemplating her sudden fatigue. She'd told him that she'd been hurt. He didn't press her further but he wanted to know. Maybe he was the fool he'd proclaimed not to be but he wanted her. He'd never find another woman like her. She just needed time. And he needed to deal with his own insecurities. She was there with him not her ex. He'd already won.

"Very well," he moved towards her, "We did have a rather long day," this time it was he that placed a kiss on her shoulder, "perhaps a little post engagement celebration will end the day on a high note."

She doubted that.

* * *

Remy felt like he was laying on the bottom of the almost empty liquor bottle sitting on his night stand instead of sprawled out on his bed.

He wanted to do something besides lie there. He wanted to go find Ororo and her fiancé, beat the shit out of him, kiss her senseless then carry her away to a place where only she and him mattered. How could she do this to him? He felt so betrayed. She was his.

He began to laugh at the irony of the situation. He'd done so much more to her. Yet he was angry with her for loving another man. For lying with someone that wasn't him…letting him touch her.

Remy scoffed when he thought about Hank. This guy was five foot nothing and an enormous asshole. At least that's what Logan had said when he'd returned Jake home, after his dinner guest had left. However, Remy thought that perhaps he was just being humored if the smirk on Logan's face was an indicator.

He thought Logan would have been a bit more supportive. Unfortunately he'd made the mistake of telling Logan that his impromptu trip to New York resulted in he and Ororo agreeing it would be better to just let it end. It still didn't make this revelation hurt any less. It hurt like hell and the alcohol wasn't helping. He knew it wouldn't.

Remy spent the time since leaving New York focusing on himself and his son. After almost three months he'd thought he was honestly going to be able to let her go and move on. His mind accepted their fate and he thought he'd convinced his heart. But it was his loss. He had to let her go.

If only she'd stayed in New York instead of coming down here and flaunting her relationship in front of him. He and his son would have been able to move on.

After he'd taken Jake home and had Devin and Camille drop him and Etienne off back at the estate he sat the little boy down for a long overdue talk. He told Etienne the truth…almost the truth…about his and Ororo's marriage, how it didn't work out, and lastly how she was going to marry the man she was with tonight.

"Don't you still love her though, Papa?"

Remy nodded. "Oui."

"But she don't love you anymore?" Etienne asked.

"That seems to be the case."

"Oh," the child said as he looked into his father's saddened dark eyes. "I love you, Papa."

This is what Remy wasn't willing to give up for Ororo. To his son he could do no wrong and had never made any mistakes, big or small. When he looked at his son he knew it was true. "I know."


	13. Chapter 13

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 13

A/N: See...told ya this update was going to be quick. I think I'm going to hold off a bit on Ch. 14 only because I want to make sure Ch. 15 comes out well.

I've been enjoying the reviews on Ch. 12. I'm quite surprised. I looked at 12 as mostly filler. Heck, I think I look at most of the chapters as filler. Oh well... Thank you for the kind reviews. They've really cracked me up! lol. I've found the consensus to be that ppl are hating Hank. lol Poor Hank. That wasn't my intent. I like Hank...not so much in this story. I want him to take a long walk off a short pier myself. And **Cathy! **_I have_ to tell you that I am too a RoLo fan...but only after Gambit.

* * *

"We don't have to go," Ororo said to Hank as they fell into the parade of cars behind Jean and Scott.

"Of course we do. They're your friends. They're expecting us," Hank said.

Ororo had noticed he'd been more aloof since meeting Remy at Logan's. His behavior fluctuated between nervous and somber. The only time Hank seemed to be at ease was when he was in the presence of her father. That in itself was strange to her. David must have really liked him; however her mother still did not seem too thrilled to hear of the engagement even though she'd never outright said it. And his coolness towards her became twice fold when she'd told him that Jean had arranged a Christmas Eve dinner party at Remy's home.

She couldn't blame him. If it had been her in the situation she was quite sure she'd handle it the same way. That's what her head told her anyway but that didn't change the fact that she still was not ready to go into details about her relationship Remy.

It wasn't an area of her personal life she was willing to share with him. Her marrying him had nothing to do with her past with Remy; it had no effect on the future. Everything would be back to normal once they returned to New York; that's what she told herself anyway.

She'd spent time in Remy's presence since their split. She would get through this evening as she'd always done before only with less bitterness and animosity. She and Remy had come to an agreement. There was no more them and would never be. They were friends. That's it. Nothing more. Not only that, she was engaged.

Ororo relaxed into her seat and released a cleansing breath. She reached over and placed her hand on Hank's thigh. _I'm engaged._ She took solace in that fact. Her engagement was the perfect barrier to protect her from her longing heart.

* * *

Remy tried very hard to keep Ororo out of his head as he made preparations for the dinner party. There was a time that he hadn't heard her name outside of his own thoughts for years. Now it seems as if every person he encountered had her name on the tip of their tongues.

Even though he and Etienne had their talk about Ororo the boy still seemed to be quite smitten with her. When Remy told him that his aunts, uncles and friends were going to get together on Christmas Eve he immediately asked if Ororo was going to come too. Etienne tried to hide his happiness, biting his little lip between his teeth to keep his smile from breaking free when he said she would be there.

Remy could only think that Ororo had a way with the LeBeau men. She'd had him wrapped around her finger and she could do no wrong in his own father's eyes. Now it seems that his son had taken a liking to her. He could see why. She was a beautiful woman. Most men probably took a liking to her.

Remy scowled down at his shoe strings as he tied them. He still couldn't believe that she was engaged. In the ten years they'd been apart the idea a marrying another woman had never entered his mind. And he didn't keep them around long enough for the thought creep into theirs.

"Papa," Etienne said from the entrance of his bedroom door, "they're here!" he squealed and took off for the stairs before Remy could barely look up.

"Here we go," he said to himself.

Remy stood and followed his son down to the foyer where the group crowded together removing their coats and handing them to Ginny and Devin.

Ororo wasn't surprised to see Devin there. He'd been over there most of yesterday and today helping with the decorations. Apparently, much to her father's silent dismay, he'd been spending a lot of time at the LeBeau residence. Anywhere Ginny was Devin was close by. Ororo hadn't seen him at all in the few days since Logan's dinner. N'Dare shared with Ororo that Ginny's grandmother, Camille, had taken a holiday trip to the casinos and left Ginny in Remy's care.

"The decorations are lovely. Did you do all of this?" Ororo asked.

"Yeah, Remy and I just followed Ginny's orders. It was all her idea," he smiled and took her coat.

"Mmmhmm…," she gave him a knowing smile in return. "Don't forget, you have to go back to New York in a week," she reminded in a lowered voice so no one else could hear.

Devin sighed. "I know. I don't want to think about it."

Ororo felt slightly guilty for teasing her younger cousin. She could see that he really liked Ginny, which was saying a lot. The boy never spent too much time or effort on any one girl; and helping her hang garland was out of the question. But the look on his face said it all. He was genuinely heart sick at the thought of leaving New Orleans.

"Well, there's always Spring Break," Ororo said trying to make him feel better. "Maybe you can come back then."

"Yeah, you're right! I hadn't even thought about that!" He grinned and the sparkle had returned to his eyes. "I love you, cuz. You always know the right thing to say," he said giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning and taking the coats he'd helped collect to stow away in what was now Remy's study.

"Good evening, mes amis," Remy said as he descended the staircase leading to the foyer and stood on the bottom step.

Ororo's eyes easily floated over to where he was standing. She'd already decided in the car that she was going to make the best of a bad situation. She had to be there and there was no reason for her to be uncomfortable. Besides, she had her fiancé, her cousin, and her best friends to distract her.

However, that was before she saw him. The corn silk blue shawl neck sweater clung neatly to his broad chest and hung stylishly just over his slim hips. She wondered if he'd chosen the color on purpose. Before they'd married, her mother had given him a similar colored sweater. Much to Ororo's delight the hue went really well with his auburn locks and naturally sun kissed skin tone.

Ororo's wanted to look away when something Jean was saying caused the others to laugh. Instead she took the distraction as an opportunity to peruse the rest of him. The dark grey slacks he wore would have made her drool had they been on someone else and not him. The slim fitting flat front of the fabric made memories of what was behind them creep into her mind. She concentrated to control the shutter threatening to overtake her body as she remembered feeling his hardened length against her thigh not too long ago in her apartment.

"Are you all right?" Hank asked when he noticed the troubled expression on her face.

"I am fine," she smiled softly shaking the thoughts of Remy from her mind. Fortunately she'd looked away from her ex-husband just as Hank turned towards her. Suddenly she became very heated and instantly regretted wearing the white drape neck sweater she'd purchased just today. She pushed up her sleeves for some relief and followed the group into the other room. _This is going to be a long night._

* * *

Hank sat quietly on a bar stool at the bar watching the friends interact. Ororo had been close to his side most of the night but had been pulled away by Remy's son. He watched them from across the room as they sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree. He could tell that the boy was showing her something on the tree. He watched as the boy's little fingers plucked delicate ornaments from the heavily decorated pine tree and passed them to Ororo.

Hank let his eyes scan the room. The décor was an indicator that there wasn't a steady woman in Ororo's ex's life. However the pretty blond draped across Remy's shoulders as he talked to Logan seemed to want to change that.

She'd arrived soon after they had and Hank was glad of it. Remy had this woman and He had Ororo. All was right in Hank's world. Still…he couldn't help noticing Ororo's fleeting looks in the handsome man's direction. That didn't trouble him too much. It was the longing stares Remy returned that caused his ire to rise.

Hank turned away from the group and instead focused on his beer taking a long swig. He'd already had two beers and had almost reached the bottom of his third. He was just beginning to feel the effects and welcomed it. Hopefully the alcohol would soothe the jealous beast just below the surface.

"Care if I join ya?" the blond asked as she sidled up next to the bar not waiting for Hank's reply. It didn't matter. He didn't respond. "My name's Roxanne."

Hank turned to look at the girl. "Yes, we were introduced already."

"Oh…yeah, I know but I was just breaking the ice," she paused. "You're Hank. You came here with Remy's ex."

"Yes, I am. And no, I came here with my fiancé," Hank said. This girl…and she was a girl, no more than twenty-two years old if he had to guess, was not someone he wanted to have a conversation with. She'd said the most ridiculous things during dinner, could barely form a proper sentence, and looked as if she was going in for a shift at a bordello later.

"That's right. I knew that," she hummed. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"About nine months now," Hank said.

"And you're already engaged?" Roxanne asked her brows high in disbelief. "You two must really be in love," she continued after Hank only grunted his acknowledgement. "Me and Remy have been banging for like a year and this is only my third or fourth time in his house."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, something about his kid… I don't mind though, he can fuck like there's no tomorrow. We'd probably wake the kid or something." Hank sat stunned as he listened to the girl talk. "It don't matter though. It's like, I've outlasted most of the other girls," she said proudly.

"Other women?" Hank asked.

"Yeah…I mean look at him. He's handsome and rich. Of course there're other women. Your fiancé could probably tell you that."

Roxanne's statement really peaked Hank's interest. "Is that why they divorced?"

Roxanne's eyes stretched wide, "They were married?" she asked.

Hank felt like he was talking to a toddler. "Yes, I assumed you were aware of that when you referred to her as his ex."

"Oh…yeah," she drawled. "I just assumed that she was an ex-girlfriend. You know, the one that got away. He keeps her picture in his nightstand. I didn't know he'd had her then let her go."

"Huh…," Hank said as he contemplated her words. Remy kept a picture of her next to his bed. He looked over at Remy as he laughed at something Logan had said. Everything about this guy was perfect. His laugh even sounded perfect to Hank.

Roxanne leaned over the edge of the bar not bothering to walk the few feet around. Instead, Hank had to endure her rear end in the air next to his hand which he promptly moved out of the way, and her wildly kicking legs as she reached for more beer.

He was pleased to see that she'd retrieved two. She slid one over to him and leaned her back against the bar. Hank heard her tsk and decided he had nothing else to lose or so he thought. He might as well humor the girl. "What is it?"

"He didn't see," she said as she turned and finally sat on the stool next to Hank.

"See what?" Hank asked.

"My ass. He didn't even look," Roxanne pouted.

"Ah…I see. You're displaying yourself for his benefit?"

"No. For mine. I'm really horny," she giggled then looked over her shoulder. "You better watch out. I don't mind sharing but you don't seem like the type."

Hank frowned in confusion of the girl's words. He turned and saw Remy sitting with Ororo and Etienne by the tree. He saw Ororo smile and laugh at something Remy had said. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle even more in the glow of the Christmas lights. Or maybe it was because of the company she was in...

Remy squatted next to them, completing the too perfect picture.

Hank opened the new beer then turned fully to watch the scene play out before him.

* * *

Ororo had been surprised when Etienne approached her. She'd barely answer his request to follow him when he grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. She tossed a "be right back" over her shoulder to Hank and followed the persistent boy. He certainly was his father's child.

Etienne sat next to the Christmas tree and urged her to do so as well. She was just thinking that she was glad she'd decided to wear dark pants when Etienne plucked something from the tree and held it out for her to view.

"Look," he said.

It took Ororo a brief moment to realize what she was looking at. It was a paper ornament she'd made many years ago for the small Christmas tree she and Remy had in New York. "Where did you get this?" she asked dumbly. Of course Remy had kept it but seeing it was so unexpected.

"From the decorations. Papa showed me all the ones you and him made," Etienne said as he stood and plucked another from the tree and sat again. "This one's my favorite."

Dangling by a red ribbon between his little fingers was another paper ornament with a photo of Ororo and Remy smiling brightly from beneath a thick patch work quilt Logan's mother had made. She remembered this picture. Jean had snapped the photo one chilly evening around a small fire in Logan's parent's backyard. Ororo reluctantly took the picture and looked at it. She was eighteen. Everyone had come home from their first semester of college for Christmas break. She was so happy then.

"Papa said I wasn't born yet," Etienne said innocently.

"No…you weren't," she responded softly to the little boy.

She saw his eyes brighten as he stood. Obviously he'd had an idea and was about to implement it. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Ororo said to his already retreating form.

Her eyes went back to the picture then up at the tree. She spotted other ornaments that she and Remy had made strewn sporadically throughout the tree between expensive, sparkling store bought ones.

Ororo didn't notice Remy's eyes on her. She'd been careful not to look his way as much as possible. The blond cooing over him the entire evening was too much for her to take. It also annoyed her that Logan seemed very familiar with her. Ororo wondered how long she and Remy had been together.

"Mind if I join you?" Remy asked as he seemed to suddenly appear before her.

Ororo looked at him before scanning the room looking for his date. She saw her leaning next to the bar talking to Hank. She mentally laughed. She'd definitely have to ask Hank later what they'd talked about.

"If you like," she said.

"I would," he said as he sat in the space Etienne had recently vacated.

"I can't believe you kept these," Ororo said as she fingered the paper ornaments.

"I kept a lot of things…but not the thing that meant the most," Remy said.

"Yes, well…we've already gone over this. Everything is for the best," Ororo said.

"If you say so."

There was a brief moment of silence then Ororo spoke, "Where are all the gifts?"

"What do you give a child that can have anything?" Remy asked.

"I don't know… A bike?" Ororo joked.

"I have two of those," Etienne said as he sat laying a huge photo album in his lap. "I want to show you my pictures, Ms. O. Would you like to see?"

"Of course I would, sweetheart," Ororo answered.

Etienne's smile broadened. Even though his papa had explained everything to him he still had hope. It was Christmas after all. And all he wanted for Christmas was for his Papa to be happy…and a mother.

Etienne opened the book and tried to rush past the first page but he was too late.

"Wait a minute," Ororo said taking the book from the boy. "What is this?" she asked as she flipped the pages back.

Etienne groaned as she smiled and cooed at his newborn picture. "My hair looks stupid in that one and I'm all wrinkly."

"Aw…you were beautiful," she said as she reached over and mussed his light auburn locks. He scrunched his face up but he was elated.

Ororo flipped the pages only to see page after page of Bella with her mother and father holding the tiny baby. She noticed Remy wasn't in any pages until Etienne was about two years old. Her eyes darted up to see his dark eyes staring down at the picture before looking up into her questioning blue. His only answer was a shrug.

Ororo continued looking through the pictures, laughing at the icing covered faces of father and son at Etienne's third birthday party. She smiled at the boy's love-struck face in the pictures with Logan's little sister, Rose.

Remy watched and listened as the two most important people in his life went through the photos one by one. He sat quietly and only answered when necessary. Mostly he was hoping that his son could worm his way into her heart like he did his. _God, I hope so. I could really get use to this._

When they came to the last picture almost an hour later, Remy noticed his son's red tired eyes. "Put the album away and tell Ms. O goodnight."

"Awww…Papa," the boy protested.

"Etienne, if you stay up too late Père Noël will pass over our house."

Ororo smiled again at Remy in "daddy" mode. Being a father fit him so well.

"Yes, Papa," the boy pouted. "Good night, Ms. O. Thank you for coming to my house. I hope to see you again," he said then leaned over and hugged her tightly. "Be nice to Papa. He still really likes you," he said then released her.

Even though Ororo was taken aback by his last statement, she gave him a kiss on his forehead. "I'll definitely be seeing you again. And thank you for inviting me to your home. You are a gracious host."

He grinned. "Night, Papa."

"Good night, son. I'll be up later."

Both he and Ororo didn't watch the boy leave the room. Instead they focused on each other. It all seemed so right…for them to be together there under the Christmas tree. With the exception of having Etienne there, it was just like old times. Even with the addition, it just felt good.

"Why were you not in any of Etienne's earlier pictures?" Ororo asked. She'd wanted to ask since she'd noticed.

"I wasn't ready. I was in denial, I guess."

"So what happened to change that?" Ororo asked genuinely curious.

"You know how Bella was…," Ororo nodded. "She slowly took up her old ways. Marius told me to man up. And I did. Simple as that, chérie."

"Was it that simple?"

"Non," Remy laughed. "It was hard as hell but we got through it."

"You're a great father, Remy," Ororo admitted.

"Thank you. I learned from the best."

Ororo smiled and nodded. "Jean-Luc was the best."

They set quietly reflecting on the man that meant so much to them both.

"Why do you hide your hair?" Remy finally asked out of the blue.

Ororo tilted her head and gave him an incredulous look. "What do you mean? I can't hide my hair if I wanted to."

"Every time I've seen you, it's been pulled back or pinned up," he said as he reached out and touched her white slicked back locks then slowly slid his hand down and caressed her cheek before pulling it back.

"It's just easier that's all," Ororo stammered.

"Want to know how I always liked your hair, chére?" Remy asked. His smile was mischievous and his dark eyes danced in devilish delight.

Ororo wanted to kick herself. She knew she was about to walk into dangerous territory but damn it, she couldn't help herself. "How?"

"Wild and curly…," he said. His voice lowered and he leaned in closer within a breath of her, "You know, after you've just stepped out of a steamy shower. Or come in from the rain…when you're good and wet.

Ororo's eyes lowered to his moist lips as he spoke. She felt herself holding her breath as she watched them open and close. Just a few more inches and she could meet them with her own. _Oh God._ _How can he still do that to me? _He could always cause her body to react just with a few suggestive words and a smoldering look.

Ororo blushed and quickly turned her head away from Remy, her eyes landing on Hank's. "I have to get back to Henry."

She stood to leave but Remy grabbed her left hand and looked at the ring on her finger. "It's gold. You hate gold." She did hate gold jewelry. It didn't go well with her physical features. Remy could only assume the fact that Hank hadn't realized this fact meant that they may not be the couple he assumed they were.

Ororo shrugged and pulled her hand away and headed in Hank's direction. He seemed to be looking elsewhere. She was glad of that. She could only imagine what Hank could be thinking if he'd been watching her the last five minutes. She didn't have to wait too long to find out.

"Having a family reunion?" Hank asked not bothering to look at her. His eyes were pinned to the wall behind the bar. The words slid easily and bitterly from his alcohol slackened lips.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Hank finally turned and gave her his full attention. "Your display was very revealing," he continued.

"Display? What display? What do you mean?" Ororo tried to stifle her guilt. She could only imagine how what had just happened with her and Remy looked to him.

"I mean…you're supposed to be my fiancé yet you've spent the last hour with him then you sit there and let him paw you right in front of my face. I'm surprised you didn't let him fuck you on the floor." Hank accused, his voice quickly escalated from a menacing whisper to almost a growl.

Ororo's eyes stretched in shock before they darted around the room to see if anyone had heard him. Fortunately no was paying attention.

Remy had his hands full with Roxanne. She'd managed to get sloppy drunk in so little time. He was in the process of asking Devin and Ginny to take her home. He could have done it himself but he didn't think of leaving his home for a second with Ororo there.

Logan, along with his wife and their sleeping children had left probably thirty minutes ago, tossing a "Goodbye" and "Catch you later" over their shoulder only to barely gain the estranged couples attention. She barely remembered Etienne standing and hugging Logan and Mariko goodbye before he hopped back down onto the floor. And she had no idea where Jean and Scott had disappeared to. Perhaps she was too engrossed in the moment.

Ororo looked at the bottles of beer that lined the countertop. She wondered how many here Hank's and how many were Roxanne's. "Come, Henry, let's go outside and talk," Ororo said as she turned and walked towards one of the many sets of French doors that led to the backyard.

Hank followed slowly. He wanted some answers.

It was cold out but neither in their heated states could feel the chill.

Once Ororo felt they were far enough away from the house that they could have a private conversation she turned and looked expectantly at Hank. "What the hell, Henry?" she asked, her voice bordering on infuriated.

"I should be asking you that."

"What are you talking about?" Ororo asked.

"You and him," Hank said plainly.

Ororo sighed. "Henry, I've told you. We're friends. There is no me and him."

"Of course there is. I see it…the way you look at him. You've never looked at me like that. Not even close," Hank said, a bit of hurt and anger in his voice.

"Hank…," Ororo started to protest but he cut her off.

"You let him touch your hair. Touch your skin. You never let me do that. You barely let me near you without invitation."

"That's not true," Ororo retorted.

"To you, maybe it isn't, but it's most certainly is," he said as he began to walk towards the corner of the house.

"Where are you going?" Ororo asked taking a few steps after him.

"I'm leaving. I think you've made a big enough fool out of me for the evening," he said not breaking his stride.

"Wait, Henry! Let me get my purse and our coats," she said as she ran towards the double doors. She noticed that he didn't stop. She'd have to catch him out front.

Ororo ran through the room they'd just been in.

Remy followed her wondering what had caused her to look so distraught and panicked.

Ororo knew he was behind her and didn't bother to turn to address him. "Where are the coats? Where did they put them?"

"What's going on, Ro?" Remy asked confused.

"We're leaving. Where are our coats?" she asked again as she opened the foyer closet then closed it when she didn't see them. "Where are they?" she finally stopped and looked at Remy expectantly.

"They're in the study," he said, his brows wrinkled in concern. Ororo wasn't the type to get upset. She was always calm and collected. He didn't know what had happened but he was sure it had to have been a fight between the "couple". He wasn't sure if he was glad or not.

Remy watched as Ororo opened then ran out the front door closing it hard behind her.

Hank was already in the car and had just started the ignition as she reached the passenger's side door. Before she could open it the car began to pull forward.

Hank didn't even look in her direction. She watched slack jawed as his tail lights disappeared down the long paved driveway and out the front gates of the estate.

* * *

End Note: Is Hank gone for good?

Much longer than my usual chapters, ey? lol I started to chop it in half but decided against it.


	14. Chapter 14

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! They really make me think and give me ideas (while still being true to the story that I want to tell). I enjoyed writing the last chapter and I'm happy you all enjoyed it too. I re-read and the typos are driving me crazy so hopefully one day that I'm not being a lazy bones I'll go back and correct them. With that said, NO BETA!

* * *

Remy watched through the door sidelight. He wondered how long she was going to stand out there. He opened the door when she turned and began to walk back up the steps.

"Ma chérie, what's going on?" he asked.

"You. You always manage to ruin my life," she said as she brushed past him.

Remy didn't know what to say. It didn't matter. Ororo began to speak before he could gather his thoughts. "Where are Scott and Jean? Their car is still here. I need a ride home."

"They're staying here tonight. I think they've gone to bed," Remy answered.

Ororo remembered then that Jean and Scott wanted to be with their god son for Christmas morning.

"Where's Devin?" she asked.

"Gone with Ginny to take Roxanne home. Ro, what's going on?" he asked again.

"I don't want to talk about it with you," she said as she turned to open the door.

"Where you going, chérie?" he asked as he stepped behind her.

"I'm walking to my parents' house."

"Non…You stay here and wait for Devin. Or I'll take you home," Remy offered.

"I don't want to be around you longer than I have to."

Remy'd had enough. His right hand darted past her head so suddenly she let out a startled gasp when the door handle was suddenly ripped from her hand and the door slammed shut.

"Remy tie'd o'ya blamin' him fo' t'ings he din't do, chére." His practiced grammar had slid to the way side; in its place was his natural thick Cajun accent.

Ororo knew she was in trouble. The only time she'd heard him speak in his natural dialect was when he was happy to see the people he'd grown up with or when he was really pissed. He and Ororo didn't grow up together so that only meant it could be the latter.

She was trapped between the door and his body; the coats and purse still in her arms. She could feel the heat radiating from his body mere inches from her back.

"Who's to blame then? Me?" she asked as she looked towards the arm that was still blocking her exit.

"Dat's right. You jus' as much ta blame fo' dis mess ya in as me. Yo' man den seen de truth dat ya can't or jus' plain don' want ta. He know, chére," his voice was harsh against her ear.

"And what exactly do you think he knows?"

"Dat ya still love Remy. Dat ya still wan' him." Remy pressed his body into hers. His lips tickled her ear as he spoke. When he finished speaking he brushed his lips lightly along the column of her neck.

"No, we're through. I'm going to marry Henry." Ororo shut her eyes and tried not to let the tingles he was causing get the better of her.

"You really going to marry him, chérie?" he asked.

Ororo was pleased to hear his voice return to the way she was use to hearing it. Not that she thought he'd actually hurt her but she'd seen the damage he'd inflicted on unsuspecting thugs looking for easy prey in New York. He'd temporarily forget all of the gentlemanly ways his adoptive parents had shown him and return to his rough unrefined upbringing, which included dropped "R's" and words that slid easily into the next.

"Yes, if he'll still have me."

"Are you really going to live the rest of your life with him?" he hummed as he inhaled her spicy perfumed scent.

Ororo felt his left hand on her hip. "Don't."

He didn't listen. He let his hand slip between the coats and her sweater. His hand moved over her stomach causing it to tremble in response. Slowly it wandered up to her breast. "Are you going to let him touch you…," he kissed her neck as he cupped and squeezed her right breast over the soft cashmere fabric of her sweater, "every night?"

"Stop."

"You can stop me anytime you want," Remy said then gently raked his teeth over her neck. She lifted her shoulder in an effort to halt the tickling of his lips and teeth. Remy took advantage of her mouth being so close to his and took her lips into his, gently slipping his tongue over her lips and into her mouth. He'd anticipated her protest but it was a half-hearted attempt. If she really wanted him off of her she could move him. He was barely holding her and she was no shrinking violet.

Ororo wasn't actively participating but she wasn't running away either. Remy used that knowledge and pressed forward. His hand moved away from her breast and traveled down her taunt stomach. Still he slid them lower down finally stopping once he reached his goal.

She moaned when she felt the pressure of his fingers against her most intimate area. "Please…," she gasped as she clenched the fabric of the coats in her arms trying to keep some resemblance of control as her body betrayed her. It was a failed effort.

"Please what, chérie? Please stop? Please don't stop?"

Her quickly failing resolve allowed her to press her rear into his groin, "Please…don't...stop."

Remy's quick hands turned her to face him. He ripped the articles from her hands letting them drop wherever they landed and pulled her tightly into him. His lips assaulted hers with a pinned up passion that hadn't been unleashed in the last ten years. She returned his kiss just as feverishly allowing her hands to roam over the hard muscles of his back.

Ororo mentally chastised herself for letting this happen but she wanted him. She needed him. No man had been able to satisfy her the way Remy had. He'd spoiled her for all others. She needed that again, to have that delirious release that only he'd been able to provide. Just one more time.

"This doesn't change anything," she stated between kisses, her voice thick with desire and anticipation.

"Whatever you say, ma petite."

Remy was used to having casual sex but this was something so much more. He'd have his Ro back. Back in his bed and back in his life. She could live on her island of denial if she liked but they were a part of each other. Nothing could change that, not time, not lovers…past or present, and least of all their minds.

He kissed her deeply once again then stepped away from her. "Come," he said as he turned and began to climb the stairs.

Ororo hesitated for the briefest moment as she watched him ascend higher and higher. The thought and memories of what he promised to deliver filled her mind. However just beyond the primal thoughts clouding her mind there was a want beyond physical pleasure. She wanted to be happy again, to be happy with him. She wanted to stop running from the embarrassment and shame she endured. She wanted to forgive him and be with him forever like she'd always planned. But she wouldn't listen to those thoughts. They were buried under too much hurt. Hurt and at the moment lust.

Instead she listened to her body and obeyed its demands and followed him up the stairs and down the hall to where she still remembered was his old room. He stood just inside the door shutting it when she entered. Ororo glanced around. It had been changed…redecorated to reflect the confident man he'd grown to be.

Against the far wall was his bed. It was bigger than the one he'd had. The one she'd lain so comfortably in with him when they were stealing time away from her parents when they were teenagers. The one they'd first made love in. It was gone. Now this massive bed took its place.

"How many women have you had in this bed?" she asked wondering what kind of history this new piece of furniture held.

"Many," he said. Ororo turned and looked at him. "More than I can remember," he continued as he took slow deliberate steps towards her.

He could tell that his words had hurt her but he didn't care. She needed to realize that she loved him and didn't want him to be with anyone else just as he felt about her.

He reached out and began unfastening the button on her pants, "How many men have you let do this?"

"Too many," she said honestly. All the men after him, even though there were just a few, they were far too many.

He unzipped her pants. "The thought of other men touching you infuriates me, chérie. Tell me…" he said as he slid her pants and thong off her hips, "did they touch you the way I did?"

She stepped out of her heels. "No," she said as she helped ease the garments down her legs and off.

"Good," he said grabbing the hem of her sweater and pulling it quickly over her head. "Turn around."

She did.

Ororo felt him unfasten her bra and slide the straps down her shoulders. She finished removing it and tossed it to the side. Her flesh was now fully exposed for his perusal and she expected him to turn her back around but he didn't.

Instead Remy's slender fingers were in her hair. He pulled at the combs and pins that held it so intricately in place. The work she'd put into pinning it up was undone in seconds. Her hair fell midway her back in heavy and thick waves of white threaded silk.

Remy missed her hair. Gathering it in his hands he held it to his nose and inhaled the familiar exotic scent of the light oil she'd always used to keep it soft and strong. He raked his fingers through it, combing out the tangles and spreading it over her shoulders in a halo around her body.

When he was satisfied with his effort he stepped away from her a few feet. "Turn around."

She did.

"Mon Dieu, chérie, you make dis he'a Cajun's heart stop."

Ororo smiled and looked shyly at the floor. How did he make her feel like an inexperienced teen again? She quickly pushed the butterflies he was causing away. She stepped back and lay on her side on his bed, one elbow propping her up. "Now you. Undress."

Remy smiled that confident boyish lopsided grin that use to infuriate her when they were younger and locked eyes with her. He pulled his sweater over his head. Ororo watched as his muscles danced under his flawless skin. The sound of metal rubbing against each other pulled her attention away from his perfectly sculpted chest and to his belt as he undid the buckle. Ororo unconsciously licked her lips as she inspected his rock hard abs. She eagerly anticipated seeing what was just below when she heard the sound of his zipper lowering. She expected to see nothing but flesh beneath the slacks and was slightly disappointed when instead she spied dark boxer briefs beneath.

She looked back up at him with questioning eyes. He smiled knowing that she remembered he'd preferred to go without the confines of underwear. His only response was a shrug as he toed off his shoes and slid off his pants. She didn't need to know that impromptu visits from little boys that had yet learned the etiquette of knocking influenced his decision to purchase skivvies.

Ororo didn't mind them. His muscular thighs beneath and obvious bulge straining against the cotton fabric were enticing and heightened her anticipation of seeing them off.

Remy started towards the bed but was halted by Ororo's words, "Stop," she said biting her bottom lip. "Take them off." He reached for the waistband of his underwear when she spoke again, "No…not those. Not yet. The socks…take them off. Please," she finished looking up at him. Hank never took off his socks. She didn't want to be reminded of Hank tonight.

Remy bent and removed the socks. He stood and held his arms and hands out to the side, "Bon?"

Ororo nodded, "Trés bon."

Remy once again approached the bed. Ororo slid farther up until she was lying on the pillows. Remy stood over her and looked deeply into her lust hazed blue eyes and knew he saw so much more behind them. She was looking at him the way she did when they were younger, before all the things that were done to rip them apart.

"I'd intended to fuck you until you couldn't walk, chérie," he said as he climbed onto the bed next to her. He watched his fingers dance over the soft bronzy skin of her hip.

"Now you aren't?" she asked.

"Non, I'm going to make love to you," he said as he bent his head towards her and began leisurely kissing her. "You still won't be able to walk."

Ororo took over the kiss, threading her hands in his dark tresses as she eagerly took his lips. She suddenly broke off the kiss, "Remember, Remy, this doesn't change anything."

He didn't believe her.

* * *

Even though there was a clock in his room he didn't look at it. It was still dark out but it was Christmas morning that's all he knew.

Etienne crept down the hallway and down the stairs. He could see the lights from the Christmas tree inviting him to what was sure to be plenty of gifts from Père Noël. He'd been extra good this year.

Etienne rounded the corner and his heart dropped. No gifts. Tears filled and overflowed his eyes instantly. Streams slipped over his cheeks then fall onto the flannel material of his blue and black plaid pajamas.

He turned and ran back up the stairs. He needed to ask his papa why Père Noël had forgotten him.

Even though his papa had told him a thousand times to always knock he was too upset to remember. He opened the door and padded across the thick rug that deafened the sounds of his small footfalls.

"Papa?" he whispered in a hoarse sob as he approached the bed.

The boy was confused. There was someone there with his papa.

Etienne tiptoed closer and in the dim morning light he saw white hair and his papa's arms wrapped tightly around brown skin.

Etienne gasped covering his surprised smile with his hand. He turned and ran out of the room and closed the door as quietly as he could.

He ran at full sprint back into his room and stood in the middle of his floor in disbelief then giggled.

"Thank you, Père Noël."

* * *

Remy's eyes snapped open from the soundest sleep he'd had in ages. He looked at his clock…6:24.

"Merde," he spat under his breath.

He unwrapped himself from Ororo and jumped out of bed. There was no way Etienne wasn't up already. Probably disappointed there was nothing under the tree.

Remy quickly pulled on his pants and exited the room. He quietly opened Etienne's door expecting fully for him not to be there. But there he was fast asleep. He could see the boy's small smile from the doorway. He clearly hadn't been up yet. Remy breathe out a long sigh of relief. Apparently the previous night's festivities had worn his son out.

Remy closed the door and darted down the stairs. He had a lot of presents to take out of hiding to place under the tree before Etienne woke and caught him.

* * *

After Remy finished stuffing the stockings and stacking the gifts under and around the tree he quickly headed back up stairs. He looked in on his son again and saw him to still be asleep. He'd barely moved.

Remy grinned. If he was lucky he'd have just enough time to ravish Ororo again. The last eight hours of his life had been amazing. His body was still reeling from her phantom touches. The taste of her skin was still on his lips. And the sound of her low throaty mewls echoes inside his head. In those hours she'd managed to wipe out every sexual encounter he'd had in the last ten years.

He heard her voice as he approached her door. He quietly opened it and found her quickly putting her clothes on.

She turned and looked at him with her cell phone firmly pinned to her ear. "You left me," she said into the receiver.

_Ah, the fiancé… _Remy entered the room and closed the door softly behind him.

"I went to my parents," she lied as she turned away from Remy and tugged down her shirt.

"I know you were drinking but that's no excuse for what you did," she chastised.

Remy snorted at her words. He crossed the room and sat on the side of his bed.

"You shouldn't have driven. You could have hurt yourself or someone else," she said as she picked up one of her heels and looked around for the other. "I understand, Henry. We'll discuss it later."

Remy watched as she got down on all fours and looked under the foot of his bed and came up with her other heel.

"We'll just keep to the original plan. We'll have brunch with my parents."

Remy's brows rose as he listened.

"No, they don't know…," she said as her eyes finally landed on Remy. "No, I'm not going to tell them. Henry, I have to go. I'll see you in a few hours, all right?" she said as she slid on her shoes. "Yes, Henry, I know you do," she closed her phone.

"I have to go," she said to Remy.

"Did he tell you he loved you…before you got off the phone?" Remy asked.

"What?" she said dumbly.

"When you were getting off the phone…you said, "I know you do." Did he tell you he loved you?" he repeated.

"Yes, he did."

"And you didn't say it back?" Remy asked.

"What?"

"You didn't tell him you love him. That's because you don't."

"We're going to be married, Remy."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Tell me that last night didn't mean anything to you!" he said as he stood.

"Remy, I told you…nothing between us has changed."

"You're damned right nothing has changed! We still love each other, Ro. That hasn't changed in the least."

"Love has nothing to do with it."

"Again! Are you fucking kidding me?" Remy struggled to keep his voice in check. He didn't want to wake Etienne nor Jean and Scott.

"No! No, I'm not kidding you! I want to get married. I want to have a family. I want someone to grow old with! Someone I can trust."

"And you can't have that with me?"

"We had our chance. It didn't work out. I've moved on," Ororo moved to walk toward the door but he stood in front of her.

"Ro…ma petite, you don't love him. If you did you wouldn't have been here with me last night."

"Do you really want to keep bringing up love, Remy? Didn't you love me when you were letting Bella fuck you? How many times did the love for me enter your head when you tricked me into marrying you? How many times did you tell me you loved me when you knew what you'd done?

I told you…nothing was going to change."

Remy sighed out his frustration. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Of course not."

"Then you're no better than me. Actually, Ro, you're worse."

"I don't have time for this… Move."

"Everyone had told me you'd changed and I didn't understand how. I see it now. You're a selfish bitch."

"Move."

"You're going to marry this man and you don't love him. I thought you were better than that."

"You're right, Remy. I don't love him. But the difference between you and me is that he knows how I feel. You didn't give me a choice. I gave him a choice."

"Is it his choice that he's marrying a whore?"

"What?"

"You heard me. I didn't seduce you. You let me fuck you with little coercion. That's what whores do, chérie."

Ororo slapped him hard.

He moved away from the door "Get the fuck out of my house," he said in a calm hurt filled voice.

"Only if you promise to get the fuck out of my life."

"Gladly," he hissed.

Ororo exited the room. Remy listened to her steps as she walked away, down the hall, down the stairs, and finally the slam of the front door.

He fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He felt his mind begin to crumble. His heart hurt with anger and loss. "Joyeux fucking Noël"

"Papa!" Etienne shouted from the doorway as he ran and hopped into the bed.

"Mon Petit," Remy answered in a tired voice.

"Père Noël gave me what I wanted most!" Etienne announced looking down into his prone father's face.

"You've been peeking downstairs. I told you to wait for me."

"No, Papa… My mama…where is she? I saw her this morning," he said, his smile spread across his face.

"Que?" Remy asked sitting up.

"My mama. I told Père Noël all I wanted was for you to be happy and for a mother. I saw her this morning with you, sleeping."

_Mon Dieu._ "Non, Etienne, that isn't right."

"Yes, Papa. I saw her…Ms. O. The one that you love."

"Non, non, non…you misunderstood. Ms. O is not going to be your mother."

"But I saw her," the boy's eyes filled with tears. "I saw her."

Remy wrapped his son in his arms. "I know, son. But Ms. O is not going to be your mother. Remember what I told you? She's going to marry the other man."

"No…," he sobbed. "My mama…"

* * *

End Note: Don't hate me! I swear I love this couple and little Etienne. Ororo didn't mean to make him cry! Just his daddy.


	15. Chapter 15

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 15

A/N: There's so much I want to say and respond to. Alas, I will do it on my profile page or LJ. Uhm...I think this is a filler chapter that I hadn't planned on writing but I need a transition. But trust me! Something is going to happen soon! As always I have no Beta...except for the Adobe pdf reader which I don't use as much as I should.

* * *

Ororo was furious. She couldn't believe the words that came out of Remy's mouth. _How dare he speak to me like that. After all the vile things he's done to me he has the nerve to criticize my actions. What the hell was I thinking?_

Her thoughts consumed her as she practically stomped down the stairs and out the front door. She barely paused to snatch her purse along her and Hank's coats off the entry table before she walked out the front door slamming it hard behind her.

Ororo stopped just outside of the entry and closed her eyes tightly. Too much had happened. Her emotions began to overtake her. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

"Ro?" Scott's voice cut through the cold winter air.

Ororo opened her eyes to see Scott standing at the rear of his car with the trunk open. He was holding shopping bags stuffed with presents and a big gift box festively decorated in shiny red wrapping paper and green streaming bows.

"Ro? Are you all right?" he asked as he placed the bags on the ground and the large gift back into the trunk and walked towards her. He took the steps two at a time when he heard the sobs escape her throat. Scott wrapped his arms around her and began telling her it would be okay.

He wasn't surprised to see her. He'd picked up the coats and purse off the floor earlier when he'd gone out for his morning jog. Usually the jog cleared his mind but this morning thoughts of his friends consumed him. He wondered how it would all play out. His emotional mind told him his two friends would work things out. However, his logical mind told him they were in the process of making an irreconcilable mess.

"No, it's not," she said, her words muffled by the thick fabric of his holiday sweater.

"Sure it will," he said after she'd composed herself. He felt her shake her head.

"No…it won't." She stepped away from him wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Will you please take me to my mother's?"

"Sure thing," Scott said as he untangled her coat from her arms and draped it around her shoulders. He didn't know what exactly had happened but he did know that he'd never seen Ororo cry. He was somewhat relieved to see that she could. She probably really needed to.

"Thank you," she replied and followed him to his car. "I'm sorry," she said as she watched him put the bags back into the trunk.

"Don't be. I know you wouldn't ask unless you had to."

She gave him a watery smile and got into the passenger's side.

The ride to her parents' house was silent. Ororo knew that Scott had an idea of what she'd done. There was no need to fill him in. He was a smart man.

"Do you need for me to wait for someone to come to the door?" he asked.

"No," she said as she held up the key she'd fished from her purse, "same lock as high school."

"Okay."

"Scott?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell Jean, please. Nothing has changed." Tears again filled her eyes, "Actually, it's probably worse. Just don't tell her, okay?" Jean was her best friend and she would probably end up telling her but she didn't think she could deal with the redhead's interrogation just yet. Everything was too fresh.

Scott nodded.

"Thank you." She leaned over and hugged him then jumped out of the car and ran up the steps. Hopefully she wouldn't be seen.

* * *

Ororo was relieved to find there was no activity in the still darkened house. The door to her parent's bedroom was slightly ajar but there was no light coming out. She darted up the stairs and into the guest room and almost cursed when she saw Devin's lump in the bed.

She turned and headed back downstairs and into the living room and there was her mother looking at her with questioning eyes from her lotus position on the floor. N'Dare usually meditated in the backyard in her small garden but the winter cold had driven her in.

At first she was startled by the door suddenly opening then relaxed when she saw it was Ororo. Her daughter had run so fast up the stairs she didn't hear her call out her name.

"Mother…"

"Ororo? What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"Mommy…," Ororo said in a weepy voice.

N'Dare untangled her limbs and had her daughter in her arms in seconds. "What's wrong?" she asked again.

"Everything's wrong." Ororo hugged her back laying her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, _everything_ can't be wrong. Tell me what has you so upset."

"Remy…"

"Remy?" she questioned as she stepped away and pulled Ororo with her to sit on the couch.

Ororo nodded.

"What has Remy done? I thought you two had worked out your friendship."

Ororo sniffed and nodded again.

"I don't understand. You have to tell me."

"I…I slept with Remy last night," Ororo confessed.

N'Dare was speechless. So many thoughts ran through her head and all she could think to say was, "What?"

"Henry and I had a fight. He left me at Remy's. I didn't have a ride. I don't know…things happened. Then we had a fight."

N'Dare was stunned but tried her best to be supportive and understanding. "Now you're upset that you slept with Remy…"

Ororo paused before answering honestly, "No."

N'Dare was confused.

"I'm upset because I didn't think doing so would mean anything," Ororo explained.

"Ro, of course it means something. It means everything. You love him."

Ororo began to cry again. "I don't want to love him. Mommy…he broke my heart. Humiliated me."

"I know, honey, but the facts are the facts. We can't change them. You still love him.

What about Henry?" N'Dare asked.

"What about him?"

N'Dare was stunned. "Ororo…you can't marry Henry. You're in love with another man. Marrying Henry isn't going to change that."

"Henry loves me."

"But you don't love him."

Ororo hadn't admitted that to her mother but N'Dare knew. She was happy if Ororo was happy. However, Hank did not fill that requirement. Not that she was biased against Hank

Even with all the things Remy had done, he was the one Ororo loved.

"I can try," Ororo said.

"You shouldn't have to."

* * *

Ororo fell asleep on the couch. She was tired and worn out yet her mind wouldn't let her rest. Short intense dreams bombarded her. In one she was happily married to Hank before realizing that Hank was actually Remy. In another she was eating cake with Etienne with the underlying knowledge that he was hers.

One after another they came until finally she was frightened awake. She was in her parent's house and she was afraid. She wanted to escape but every time she went near the opened door she'd hear who she knew was Hank growl deep and feral from another room. She was trapped, too afraid to run because she didn't know what was out there. She didn't know what would happen if she crossed the threshold but she was too afraid to stay where she was.

Ororo's eye snapped open. It took her a second to realize that her father was sitting in the room with her watching the television.

"Good morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, baby. Merry Christmas," David said looking over at her.

Ororo had completely forgotten the holiday. "Merry Christmas…"

"You and your friends must have had a late night. Your mom said you came over to help and here you are sleeping."

Ororo let out a nervous laugh. Her mother had covered for her, "Um, yeah…I'm still really tired."

Ororo waited for him to ask more questions but when he didn't and turned his attention back to the television she stood to go find her mother.

Her body ached with each step she took towards the kitchen, reminding her of what she'd done…and how good it had felt.

Last night with Remy had been more than what she'd bargained for. He'd done exactly what he said he would. He made love to her with his whole self. His kisses lingered. His hands stroked her flesh with a possessive gentility. His whispered words reminded her…reminded her of what they had…of what she lost. Emotions battled deep within her but in the harsh light of day it was fear that was the victor.

"Mother, may I borrow some clothes? I'd really like a shower," she said from the doorway of the kitchen.

N'Dare looked up from her brunch preparations spread out on the island. "Sure, sweetheart. Would you like some coffee first?"

"No and thank you," Ororo said then turned walking to her parents' room.

N'Dare watched her go. She felt bad for Ororo…not sympathetic but bad. She felt bad for Remy too. Even though she'd never told Ororo and she wouldn't dare tell David, she still talked to Remy somewhat frequently. She had taken him into her family and she just couldn't throw him away once her daughter and his' relationship ended.

He'd told her what had happened between him and Bella on the day his father died. She didn't think what he'd done was wise but she also couldn't hate him for it. He was still young and had made a mistake. She'd told Ororo as much but the girl was wrapped in an impenetrable cloak of grief and deception. N'Dare knew Ororo was still wearing it.

N'Dare also knew that Hank was an easy out for Ororo, a way for her to get the things she wanted without the risk of heartache. She was hoping that her daughter would discover this on her own. It was wishful thinking, the possibility that fate would intervene and put these two destined lovers back together. However the engagement completely caught N'Dare by surprise. She didn't think that Ororo would take self deceit that far. But Ororo was an adult, free to make her own mistakes. N'Dare just hoped that this mistake wasn't ruining so many lives. Perhaps she'd be able to talk some sense into the girl.

* * *

Ororo's cell phone rang just as she'd stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel. She thought about not answering. She wasn't really in the talking mood. She picked it up anyway. Jean. _God._ "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas," Jean said dryly.

Ororo echoed her sentiment. There was nothing merry about this day. She balanced the phone on her shoulder and wrapped the towel around her body.

"You know, I'm beginning to think something is going on and I'm being left out of the loop," Jean said.

"Really? Like what?" Ororo asked trying not to sound guilty. She wiped the condensed water off the mirror and looked at her reflection. Even if she didn't sound guilty, it was written all over her face. Thank God Jean couldn't see her.

"I don't know," Jean said. "Remy's pissy, Etienne won't come out of his room, and Scott's telling me not to pry."

"Etienne?" Ororo was puzzled. She knew the reasons behind Remy's mood and Scott's plea but today was supposed to be a happy day for Etienne.

"Yep. In his room all morning bawling his little eyes out."

"Huh…he was fine last night when he went to bed," Ororo said and sat on the closed lid of the toilet.

"Well, he isn't today. He wouldn't open any of his presents. He really likes you, Ro. Maybe you could come over and cheer him up," Jean suggested with just a hint of mischief in her voice. "Leave Henry at the hotel this time," she laughed.

Ororo's silence indicated that she didn't find it as funny as Jean did. _No one's in a good mood this morning. Some Christmas._

"Anyway," Jean said, "my Christmas isn't turning out the way I'd hoped."

"Mine either," Ororo mumbled. "Look Jean," she said louder, "can I call you back? I need to help my mother. I'll talk to you later. Okay?"

The call ended before Jean could even respond. Ororo's mind was too scattered to care. She looked down at the gleaming diamond on her finger. She'd made love to Remy and hadn't even taken the damn thing off. _Remy was right. I am an awful person._

* * *

Hank had arrived promptly at 10:30. The newly engaged couple greeted each other tentatively and exchanged cordial greetings of Merry Christmases, remnants of their fight surrounded their awkward body language, stiff hugs and air kisses.

The morning into the afternoon was uneventful. Gifts were exchanged; nothing too big that couldn't be packed into luggage bags or carry-ons…the typical gloves, scarves, books passed between the adults and Devin.

David and N'Dare moved around each other in the kitchen cleaning dishes and stowing away condiments. David's face was marred in a solemn expression as he focused on his task of putting away N'Dare's serving trays. N'Dare had noticed her husband's steadily changing mood as the day progressed. Ororo and Hank were sitting on opposite sides of the living room and Devin had long darted out of the front door to the awaiting Mercedes that Ororo quickly recognized as Remy's mother's. This was N'Dare's first opportunity to ask her question what was the matter.

"Honey, what's wrong?" N'Dare asked.

He turned to look at his wife, a small smile playing in the corner of his lips. "She's not going to marry him, is she?" he asked in a low voice.

"I doubt it."

David sighed. "That's too bad. He's a likeable guy."

"That's the problem. She likes him and that's about it."

He harrumphed.

"You want her to be happy, don't you?" N'Dare asked.

David was silent for a moment as he mulled over exactly what and who it was that would make his daughter happy, "Yeah, I do. I was just hoping that she could have found it with someone other than LeBeau."

"He was young, David. He made a mistake."

"Mistakes," he said stressing the 's', "He has a knack for making mistakes. Knocking up some dope head, kept it a secret, then tricked Stormy into marrying him…."

"He's an adult now…a father. Being a father makes one more cautious of their actions."

"He has a different woman on his arm everytime I have the misfortune of seeing him. You call that cautious? He's probably diseased."

"David, please…," N'Dare chided. "They have different ways of coping with their heartbreak. He…spreads himself thin with women…"

"He spreads himself all around…," David interrupted.

N'Dare raised her voice slightly to drown out his words, "And Ororo won't let anyone in."

"Good."

"You don't mean that," N'Dare rebuffed.

"I don't want her to get hurt anymore."

"Do you prefer her alone and unhappy?"

David looked around for other things to put away. When he couldn't find anything he looked at his wife and shook his head, "So you'd be fine with them two getting back together?"

"Well, it's not my decision to make but yeah…I would be. She's been miserable without him. And he loves her."

David snorted. "N'Dare, love ain't enough if there's not trust."

"That's true, but it's Ororo's issue to get over."

"Why does she have to be the one? He committed the crime."

"It's been almost ten years. They've both definitely done the time."

David shook his head, "I can't stand him."

N'Dare laughed. "Then nothing has changed."

* * *

Ororo and Hank sat in a not so comfortable silence as they watched television. She'd already refilled his cup of tea and asked if he'd like anything else. After his refusal there was nothing else she could do to occupy her restless body.

His voice startled her even though she repressed any outward display. "I've decided to leave tomorrow," he said.

Ororo turned her head slightly to look at him. "Oh? Why?"

"I remembered there were some things to be taken care of back at the lab," he said as he watched her with careful eyes. He knew there was no way she did not know he was not telling the truth.

"Okay, I'll go back with you."

"No, stay here with your family…your friends."

Ororo's brows knitted in deep contemplation. She didn't know if she wanted to stay. She was miserable here. Her unhappiness had twice folded in less than a week. Everything would be fine once she was back in New York.

"No, I don't want to stay."

Hank gave her a nod and a small unsure smile graced his lips.

Remy stooped in front of his fireplace and fed it another log. A promise of a fire and warm cocoa persuaded Etienne to come out of his room just as the sun had set.

Remy rarely used the fireplace but it was Christmas after all and Etienne loved it. Remy assumed that it made the estate feel more quaint and cozy to the boy.

He looked over at the boy tucked into the corner of the couch nursing a mug of cocoa and his broken heart.

Remy didn't know what else he could do. Originally the two were going to go to go to Marius' then Logan's as they'd done for the past few Christmases. However, Etienne wasn't in the mood. And if truth be told neither was Remy. There was nothing they wanted to celebrate today.

Jean had coaxed Etienne into opening the biggest gift she'd purchased him. He was able to smile at the new Xbox gaming system and Rock Band setup, complete with drum set, he'd asked his father for since he'd first played with one at a friend's birthday party. Remy would have been upset with Jean had it not been for his son's smile. He'd adamantly refused to buy the video games based solely on the idea that "It will rot your growing brain."

So yes, the father caved and hoped the artificial joy that plastic and wires brought would somehow take the place of a child's wish for a mother's love and security.

Jean had given him another sweater. Its fabric wouldn't replace the warmth the arms of the woman he loved would provide.

He and Ororo had gone from bad, to what he thought was a possibly, to worse than before. Not for a second did he think she'd be able to walk out of the door…again. Just like that. As if what they had meant nothing to her. Years ago and just that morning she'd done it.

It seems that everyone he loved walked out on him…his birth parents, his adoptive parents, her… But Etienne would always be his. And somehow he'd managed to hurt him most.

"Son, would you like to watch television?"

"No thank you, Papa."

Remy sat and took the mug from his son's hands and placed it on the coffee table in front of them then pulled him close.

"Etienne, you know that I love you very much, don't you?" Remy asked.

"Yes, Papa, I know."

"And you also know that I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you…."

"I know that too but…"

"But what, son?"

"But I asked Pere Noel and I prayed everynight. I saw her with you, like the way moms and dads sleep together. I just thought…," Etienne's voice grew tighter and tighter with each word. Remy shushed him and pulled him into his arms.

"I'm sorry, mon petit, I'm so sorry…"

* * *

End Note: God I hope this chapter made sense. It took me so long to write and I deleted so much and rewrote so much...I just hope it has some cohesive flow...Argh!


	16. Chapter 16

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 16

AN: In case it hasn't been noticed I usually respond to reviews and give heads up on updates on my profile page. Thank you all so much for the reviews...the comments...the inquiries. I have some responding to do that most likely I will do tomorrow as I am TiReD at the moment. Deliriously so. Hopefully the "corrections" I just made while trying to proof aren't actually mistakes. YIKES!

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And even when updates are slow they are always on my mind. I've actually been quite busy as of late. Oh that...and FaceBook. It's evil.

No Beta! Any errors please let me know. I just went back and read Chapter 11 and there are glaring mistakes that are driving me crazy and will be changed soon!

* * *

"No, Ororo, I think it would be better if you stayed here," Hank said then continued when he saw the questioning expression on Ororo's face, "…with your family. And Devin would have to be dragged kicking and screaming." Hank chuckled lamely trying to cover the awkwardness of the conversation.

She didn't laugh or even crack an obligatory smile. "Devin can come back as planned after New Years. He's a big boy. He's flown before. He knows the ins and outs of airports and how they work."

Hank hummed acknowledging her statement. "I understand but you never know…he could get snowed in or any number of things. Besides, you took the time off…might as well enjoy it."

Ororo finally took the time to really look at Hank. His usually meticulously comb hair was slightly askew. The lines around his mouth seemed deeper and his forehead had yet to relax from what look like deep contemplation. He didn't want her to go with him.

"All right," she said finally and waited to see his reaction. There was none. She didn't know that her words squeezed his heart and a lump rose in his throat nearly choking him.

He only smiled slightly and nodded. "I think I'm going to go get packed," he said as he stood. Ororo stood too. "Would you like for me to bring your things here?"

Ororo thought for a second, "No…I'll stay at the hotel. There isn't any room here for me."

"Of course," Hank acquiesced. "You can keep the car too."

"Okay," she said. "Let me get our coats and we can tell my parents goodbye."

* * *

It was dusk dark and Ororo sat at the tiny dining table by the window watching the sun change the colors of the sky from golden ambers to scarlet and tangerine until it was finally dark. Behind her Hank slowly packed as he listened to a twenty-four hour news channel.

Tension between the couple festered in the heated air of the suite. They hardly exchanged words, keeping to safe topics instead of real conversation. They decided to stay in for dinner and order room service, agreeing with little debate to split a salad and dessert.

Ororo listened to the soft click of the bathroom door closing and the sound of water spraying from the shower and was relieved he wasn't in the room anymore. She exhaled releasing some of the tension gripping her body.

She knew they needed to talk about the previous night but she couldn't bring herself to start the conversation. She was wrong on all accounts. From the seemingly innocent beginning sitting under the Christmas tree to the wicked bitter end of her walking out of Remy's front door.

Hank had every right to be upset and she'd used it against him. Used it to do something she wanted to do…long to do anyway.

Not only that, Hank was right. She didn't let him touch her the way she did Remy. She was defended by impenetrable emotional Teflon, easily slipping from genuine intimacy's grasp.

Being with Remy reminded her of how it felt to strip away the layers. He'd wrapped her in his love. Her heart had stopped hurting and she'd felt whole for the first time in so many years. It felt so good to love and to be loved. She wanted it to mean nothing. If she kept saying it, maybe it would make it true. But it wasn't.

Ororo's eyes watered. She looked down at the ring on her finger. _I have to tell Henry that I can't marry him._

The sound of the water stopping drew her from her thoughts. She turned away when the door opened wiping away her unshed tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Ororo…are you okay?" Hank asked tentatively.

She shook her head. "No," she said as she turned towards him exposing her reddened eyes.

Hank tensed up at the sight of her tears. "What is it?"

"About last night…"

Hank sighed and tightened the knot of the plush hotel robe.

"I'm sorry…," Ororo continued.

Hank lifted his hand. Her dread gladly consented to his silencing gesture. "I do not think now is the time to discuss this. It's too fresh. We both need time to think about the things we said…," He paused and looked pointedly at Ororo, "And the things we did." Another pause. "When you get back to New York and clearer heads…feelings…prevail, we'll discuss it."

Ororo listened. She really didn't want to talk either. It was just easier not too, "All right."

* * *

Hank stood in his laboratory. Even though he knew no one would be there the day after Christmas he was there early. He didn't bother to go home. His luggage sat in the corner nearest the entrance as he started the equipment and got reacquainted with the data entries of the various tests run while he was gone.

The words he read made no sense to him; his mind kept running back to Christmas morning. He'd woken up in the hotel alone and realized what he'd done the previous night. Embarrassment of his actions crept into his brain. Gone was the alcohol induced paranoia and in place was its logical analytical opposite.

He'd called Ororo's cell phone and fully expected her not to answer but was surprised to hear her sleepy voice on the other end. After apologizing for waking her he had to tell her what a fool he'd been. What he'd done was thoughtless and unforgivable.

He should have known her forgiveness was too quick. She shouldn't have made it so easy. He remembered the profane accusing things he'd said to her and what he'd done when she tried to reason with him.

After ending the call he couldn't rest. He had to know that all was right with them. He quickly dressed and headed to where he thought she'd already be. Instead when he turned the corner he saw Ororo leaping from Scott's car in the clothes she'd had on the previous night. She'd told him she stayed at her parents yet she was obviously just arriving.

Hank swallowed the lump that had risen from the pit of his stomach. Scott and Jean had stayed at Remy's…he knew that. And if Scott was dropping her off then she'd stayed at Remy's too. She'd lied. _Why would she lie?_

He thought that if he gave her time she would tell him the truth. What he hoped was the truth… That she'd fell asleep waiting for him to come back. He'd have believed any excuse she'd given, willingly. Instead her silence spoke volumes. It only meant that she'd stayed with Remy. His worst fears confirmed in her downcast guilty eyes and tight pressed lips.

He couldn't be mad at her or upset. He knew he held no real place in her heart. He wasn't a necessity but an option. She loved someone else. And no matter how hard Hank tried he knew that he'd never be able to make her happy. What he saw dancing in her eyes on Christmas Eve was joy but when she looked at him it wasn't there.

His quiet revelation revealed more about himself that it did her. He needed to be away from her, her family, her friends…to figure out what was the matter with him. That's why he decided to go back to New York. Hank also realized that she needed that time to think too. She needed her own revelation.

Now he was back in his lab trying his best to force his mind to concentrate on other tasks but it would not comply. Fortunately a voice interrupted his thoughts when his frustration was about to peak.

"Hank?" called Trish.

He turned and they both asked, "What are you doing here?"

They shared an amused chuckle before Hank answered, "I decided to cut the vacation short."

Trish's brows crinkled. She didn't want to come right out and ask him why. Instead she decided on a more tactful approach. "Is everything all right?"

Hank paused, "Yes. Quite."

That's all he said to Trish's disappointment. Not that she wanted anything to be wrong. She really was concerned. She was quite fond of Hank. More than she'd realized until recently. It had confused her when she felt such strong sense of jealousy when he'd confessed that he'd been seeing someone. And it had disheartened her to know he only thought of her as "ordinary." She tried to sway him from that line of thought with lipstick, perfume…anything to make her seem more womanly in his eyes. Nothing worked. He just seemed annoyed.

"What about you? What brings you here?" he asked.

"I just wanted to get some work done," she lied. She'd actually only stopped in on her way to a nearby bookstore to retrieve her reading glasses after she'd broken the ones she had at home.

"It doesn't look like there's much to do," Hank said as he flipped through a thick double ringed binder. "You seem to have done the important stuff."

Trish laughed nervously, "I was going to do a supply order. You know, so we'll have everything we need when we dig back in after the New Year." She'd already made a supply order but a backup wouldn't hurt.

"I'll help you then," Hank offered.

"Okay. Let me get my hard copies."

Trish and Hank danced around each other, looking through cupboards and closets as they inventoried the supplies. It had taken only thirty minutes to complete the task.

"Looks like we're done," Trish announced.

"So it does," Hank agreed. "Well, I guess I'll be heading home."

Trish wasn't ready to let him go just yet. His being there not in an actual work capacity opened up an opportunity that she had to take. "Would you like to go out for a late breakfast? Early lunch?" she asked. She offered an excuse for her out of character request when she saw his befuddle expression, "That's the least I can do for you helping…"

"Nonsense!" he responded. Trish felt her heart drop just a little. "After all the work you've done in my absence…and you seemed to have handled it beautifully, it is I who shall take you to breakfast."

Trish smiled big. She wasn't expecting that but she was pleased.

"All right."

* * *

Ororo had left a message and a text on Hank's cell phone. She just wanted to know that he had made it safely back home. He hadn't responded. Not that she was worried. She wasn't. However, it was he that checked in with her regularly and she knew he should have been back in New York at least three hours.

She'd taken him to the airport and pretended not to hear the outrages fee he was charged to change his flight. Instead she waited for him to turn to her and she kissed him softly on the cheek and said goodbye. It seemed so final.

Although she knew she'd see him at least once more. She had to tell him the truth but she just couldn't last night or this morning. Not in a hotel…in a strange city, they were both out of their comfort zone she'd reasoned.

She glanced over at the ring next to her on the bedside table. She did hate to wear gold.

Her thoughts drifted to Remy. They'd said some awful things to each other the other morning and she couldn't leave New Orleans with the discontent lingering between them. Not this time. She didn't want to hate him anymore. It took too much energy and she was tired. Maybe she'd have the opportunity to fix things with him on New Year's Eve.

Underlying those thoughts she suppressed the hope of what could happen once again.

* * *

The next few days Ororo spent with her mother. N'Dare was more than her mother now. She was her friend. Oddly enough she could tell her mother things that she couldn't tell Jean. Ororo loved Jean but some things she needed to suss out things on her own without the redheads brash opinions. N'Dare would listen quietly and ask questions that aided her thoughts instead of confusing them.

She hadn't even told Jean that Hank had left…not really. The one time they'd met for lunch and Jean asked where he was she just respond, "Not here," and smiled. Scott nodded slightly indicating that he knew there was much more behind her simple words. Other than that the two women's outings were without need of men as they, along with an occasional Mariko, shopped for after Christmas deals and cute baby items.

Today was another one of those shopping days. The two friends met at the mall and had actually made out with some pretty good deals.

Ororo refrained from buying things for herself. She didn't want to go through the trouble of shipping boxes back to New York. Besides that, her apartment was too small. Instead she focused mostly on her future godchild. She bought as much as she wanted for him or her. Jean and Scott already had a nice sized home with plenty of room for as many knickknacks as she wanted to buy.

Even with the baby in mind Ororo always thought of Logan's children…and this time Etienne too. She had no idea what he liked but she managed to pick out a couple of video games after Jean had told her about the Xbox. She bought both he and Jake a Yo Baby Kick Flip board. It just seemed like something safe and fun the boys would enjoy doing together.

The two women stood in the parking lot by Jean's car loading the bags into her rental car.

"Wait! These are the boys' gifts!" Jean said. "Don't you want to give Etienne his gifts?"

As much as she'd love to see the look on Etienne's face when she gave them to him she wasn't ready to face his father. Besides, she was going to have to do that tomorrow night and she had no idea what she was going to say.

"Um…no, I have to get home. I told mother I'd help her cook. Remember? She's catering a small house party tomorrow night."

"Oh, that's right," Jean said as she remembered the conversation they'd had earlier. "It'll only take a second…"

Ororo cut her off. "No, that's okay. You give it to him and give him my love."

"Oh, Ro…he adores you," Jean smiled as she closed the trunk of her car.

"He's a sweet kid."

"Ro," Jean said as she grabbed Ororo by her shoulders shaking her slightly. "Everything you want is right in front of your face waiting for you to take it.

Ororo's expression stilled. She knew her friend would quite possibly never forgive her if she knew all that had occurred in the last days.

"It's complicated."

Jean shook her head and let her go. She remembered Remy telling her once when they were teenagers that love wasn't supposed to be hard. It wouldn't be if they didn't fight it so hard.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ro. I love you," Jean said.

"Love you too."

_See…_ Jean thought. _It's not that hard._

* * *

Any given night in the French Quarter was a party but New Years Eve was a celebration. People crowded the streets in their best party clothes, some costumed, most really drunk or close to it. Fortunately Scott and his rational mind had already thought of that and hired a limousine for the evening. The slow crawl of the stretched car indicated driving anywhere near the Quarter would be a nightmare.

They'd finished dinner and were on their way to the Harry's. A little bar they'd been allowed to frequent when they were teens as long they promised to behave themselves. It was just a few blocks from the Quarter but the perfect site to view the midnight fireworks from the barges on the Mississippi.

They'd already started the party toasting with glasses of white wine found already chilling in the limousine's interior. Jean was happy to sip on her sparkling cider.

Ororo quickly asked for a refill of her glass. She was tense and hoped the affects of the alcohol would relax her before she'd finally see Remy. When the limo had arrived to pick her up she was relieved and miffed to see no sign of him. She wanted to know where he was but didn't want to ask. However Jean had revealed during dinner that Remy would be meeting them later.

Ororo had also confessed Hank's absence when Jean once again asked where Hank was. Jean had given her a suspicious look. Thankfully she didn't press the matter at the time but Ororo knew it was going to come sooner or later.

Finally the car's slow pace came to a rest in front of Harry's. Ororo's anxiety rose as soon as the chauffeur swung the door open.

"Come on, Ro!" Jean said from the sidewalk.

Ororo couldn't help but to mirror her friend's smile despite going through great effort to keep the hem of her short dress down as she exited. They were going to have a good time tonight if it killed them. With Scott and Jean living in Boston and away from relatives it would probably be the last time in a long time they'd all be able to let loose and stay out late and not have to worry about babysitters.

Ororo left her coat in the limo. It was cold out but she knew it would be wall to wall people providing heat in the cramped space. Somehow Logan had managed to secure two of very few tables available in the makeshift VIP section close to the band. After they'd pushed them together Ororo ordered another glass of wine, this time red, from the waitress.

The wine allowed her mind to wonder to previous off limit areas of thought. Making love to Remy again. Waking up in his arms and not running away this time. Having breakfast with him and Etienne. Celebrating birthdays. Having a family…

The group had settled in to their seats and was enjoying the band when Remy finally appeared. Ororo swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she let the freedom the alcohol gave her allow her mind to wander unsolicited deeper within her thoughts of him.

He looked damned good, dressed simply in black except for the edges of the opened white collared shirt that peeked from the edges of the deep v-neck sweater. Just enough of his neck and chest was exposed to make a woman want to see the rest. Ororo subconsciously licked her lips. The movement of his arm drew her attention and that's when she saw her…

Remy placed his hand on the small of her back, presenting her to his friends. Emma, he said her name was. Scott stood and introduced himself. Jean smiled politely. Logan greeted her familiarly. Unlike with Roxanne, so did Mariko. Ororo sat a bit stunned. This woman was no Roxanne. Roxanne was nowhere near this woman's league. Ororo could tell this simply by looking at her. She was always good at reading people and this woman made her feel uneasy…envious.

The woman wasn't a typical beauty. She was what might be described as an unconventional beauty. Her cheekbones were a little too high. Her lips a little too large. Her nose a tad too thin. But in all their flaws they came together perfectly. Her hair was even hard to describe…too light to be blond, too dark to be brunette. She had the frame of someone that should be bigger, like a ballerina trying hard to stay thin.

She wasn't arm candy or a good time girl. She was a woman that completed the image of a rich beautiful man. A man like Remy.

Ororo felt her stomach turnover, suddenly not feeling well. She stood and her head swam from the sudden change. All eyes landed on her.

Jean reached up and touched her hand lightly and mouthed a concerned inquiry.

Ororo nodded her head placating the concern. "Bathroom," she said. She didn't bother to make sure her friends understood before darting out of the area and through the crowd. Ororo walked past the bathroom. She needed air.

The doorman smiled in acknowledgment of her as she stepped out. She'd have no problem getting back in. He'd easily recognize and remember an exotic stunning beauty as her.

Ororo stood next to the building allowing the chill of the air to freeze her resolve. She'd let herself slip…to dream of them and happiness again. She almost laughed at herself. She and Remy had never had fate on their sides. It was time she finally accepted the obstacles. But she'd still apologize. She owed him that much.

Shaking off the cold Ororo walked back into the bar. Remy was easily spotted saddled up to the bar. Ororo looked over to her friends to see the woman sitting and chatting amicably with the group. The smile on Scott's face didn't bother her but the one on Jean's did. Jean was supposed to be scowling.

Brushing the thought aside Ororo made her way to Remy and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned and looked at her. He didn't bother to spare a word of acknowledgement.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Ororo asked, raising her voice enough for Remy to hear her over the noise of the patrons and playing band. She would have thought he didn't hear her if it had not been for the squint of his dark eyes and the deep inhalation of air. He'd heard her. He was just thinking of how he wanted to respond.

Remy nodded. "Speak," he said.

"Not here."

"Then where? There's nowhere to go, chérie," he said as he gestured to the crowd of people around them.

Ororo knew he was right. She moved closer so she wouldn't have to yell. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" He really wanted to know the answer to that question. What exactly was she sorry about? Was it about sleeping with him? Was it about telling him that it meant nothing to her? Was it about breaking his and his son's hearts? What could she possibly be sorry for?

"I don't know. For everything, I guess."

"You guess?" he asked. Disbelief laced his voice.

"Yeah…it was a mistake. It never should have happened. I'd like to start over. Be friends again." Ororo was hopeful. If only they could be friends. If they could, they'd have a chance at possibly more. _No, not more. That's the wine talking again._

Remy looked at her. _Mistake? Friends? _He couldn't wait for her to leave…to take her ass back to New York. She could go back and never come back and he'd be a happy man. Looking at her made him want to wrap his hands around her throat. At one time he lived for everything that was her. He'd spent the last ten years pining for all that he'd lost when she'd walked out of his life.

"I don't want to be your fucking friend." Ororo blinked. "I don't want anything to do with you ever, ever again," he continued. "You wanted me out of your life. Fine. We are not friends. We will never be friends. I don't even like you."

He finished leaving a stunned Ororo staring at this shoulder and he turned and picked up then drained his glass of liquor. He slammed the glass back onto the countertop then picked up a glass of red wine. He turned back to her, "Pardon me," he said as he walked past her.

He walked over to Emma and beckoned her to stand then gave her the glass of wine. Ororo watched Emma's confused expression as Remy held her by the crook of her arm and said goodbye to their friends and pulled her away, through the crowd and out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 17

A/N: I have a confession to make. I've lost my notebook containing the outline for this story. I'm kind of sick about it because there were notes that I definitely wanted to use. Anyway, I know all seems bleak at the moment but we're on the decline. I'd say there's about...five chapters left. This is just a guess of course and that's if they are long chapters.

Also, I replied to a lot of the reviews on my profile page. I'm going to save those responses onto my LiveJournal. I think I have it set up where anyone can respond. Like I said, I wanted this story to be about emotions and forgiveness and love and hate and all that...and I know a lot of people have thoughts on the subject.

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing. Your time in doing so is greatly appreciated. And NO BETA! So please, please let me know if you spot any mistakes that make you want to smack me!

* * *

"10…9…8…," the small crowd shouted from the rooftop of Harry's. The select group of VIP patrons was allowed the privilege to watch the spectacular fireworks show from its vantage point. Ororo stood among them with her friends in a prime spot near the front.

It had taken all she had to paste a smile on her face and enjoy the evening with her friends. She still ended up feeling like a fifth wheel. Every now and then Logan or Scott would break away from their significant others to dance with her. Honestly, they could have saved the gesture. She didn't feel like dancing. She didn't feel like doing anything other than crawling into her bed and staying there.

"7…6…5…," the countdown to the New Year continued. Ororo couldn't remember the last time she'd welcomed in the New Year. Usually she was asleep on the couch which some may consider a real shame being that she was a train ride away from the action in Time Square.

Ororo looked through the barricaded building edge all around her at the smiling faces. On the other rooftops and balconies, down in the flooded streets couples and friends clung to each other.

She wondered if Remy meant what he said back at the bar. _Of course he does. _Remy always said what he meant. People always knew where they stood with him.

She wondered where he'd gone.

"4…3…2…!" The crowds cheer grew louder.

That's when she saw them. Across the way, a floor lower, Remy and Emma stood out. He'd probably paid a pretty penny for solitude. They were the only two on a balcony surrounded by others crammed tight with celebrators. Ororo focused on the woman. Remy's jacket draped her shoulders shielding her bare arms from the weather. He stroked her arms lightly. The gesture wasn't providing any heat other than a show of affection between a man and a woman.

"1!" Ororo couldn't tear her eyes away from them. She watched as Remy turned Emma towards him pulling her into his body. She watched his lips move, 'Happy New Year, mon petite,' then he kissed her fully on the lips.

The wall of sound that erupted around Ororo didn't penetrate her focus. The hugs and kisses on her cheek from her friends didn't cause her eyes to waver. She watched as the kiss lingered before finally ending. Emma turned back around and he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, she rested her hands on top of his and leaned her head back against his shoulder. Remy nuzzled her neck; his lips nibbling on her tender skin. Emma laughed as she playfully tried to dodge his assault. He said something then they looked up into the night as the sky lit in festive colors.

Emma's eyes trained on the above skies. However something else caught Remy's attention, white hair and a penetrating stare.

Ororo realized he was looking back at her and quickly turned to escape from anymore images. She was only able to take two steps away when someone blocked her path.

"Hello," a deep silky voice greeted loud enough to be heard over the noise of the booming fireworks and the chatter of the other guests.

Ororo looked up and into a lovely caramel face and chocolate eyes. She didn't really notice. She was too stunned by what she'd just seen to pay attention to the striking features of the man.

"Hi," she replied.

Still she tried to move around him but couldn't as he leaned in close to her ear, "I saw you when you walked in. I've wanted to approach you all night."

Ororo frowned. She wasn't in the mood to be hit on. "Really?" she said in an uncaring manner, still trying to skirt around him.

"Yes. I made it my New Year's resolution to talk to you before the opportunity slipped away," he said as he kept near, "You know…out with the old, in with the new."

That caught Ororo's attention and she stopped. "Out with the old…," she said mostly to herself, but the man nodded in response. _In with the new_.

She took the time to look at him. A strong jaw line framed his small smile. They were close to the same height but that's to be expected; she rarely encountered men that were that much taller than she. Shoulder length straight black hair blended into the color of his suit jacket. He was quite handsome.

Ororo stuck out her hand, "My name is Ororo."

"Jonathan," he replied as he took her hand in his. He didn't shake it, just held it. "Would you like a drink?"

"Sure."

* * *

Remy's immediate reaction was to loosen his grip around Emma when he saw Ororo. He felt like a kid caught with his hand in a candy jar before dinner. For a brief moment his heart beat hard in his chest. Then he realized it was unnecessary. He didn't belong to her and she didn't belong to him. That was perfectly clear.

He was done anguishing over her. He'd tried. He'd tried damned hard. _To hell with her_.

"Chére, you ready to get out of this place?"

Emma turned and put her arms around Remy's neck. "And where are you whisking me away too, Mr. LeBeau?"

"Anywhere you want to go."

Emma's grin grew. Everything about Remy seemed to have suddenly changed. He was always a charming man but tonight he seemed more doting and affectionate.

This was the first time he'd invited her for a night out on the town with his friends. Even though they didn't stay, it spoke volumes.

Emma had realized a long time ago she was the woman he chose to escort to charity events, let mingle with his business associates and introduced her to their wives. She wasn't the one he went out with for a good time; he'd never called her for a weekend in Vegas or a late night tryst. She was his…trophy. Top tier apparently.

But she was fine with the situation. She knew she had a real chance of landing him…or some other wealthy bachelor if not him. She was educated, doing well in the advertising firm despite her young age, and attractive. She was the type of woman rich men married or at least made their mistress, usually rich older men in a middle of a midlife crisis.

Emma knew eventually going to all of those charity events would pay off. Plenty of rich men with old women to pick from. But she was fortunate to have found someone as young as Remy mingling within the crowd.

_It's about time he's getting his act together. _Emma knew it was just a matter of time before he came to his senses. She just didn't think it would actually be so soon. It was quite possibly due to the holidays and all the reflection that happens during that time of year. Especially for those that have no real family.

Or maybe the change in attitude could be because of his son getting older. She'd gladly accept that too. The kid's probably asking for a little brother or sister. _If that's the case then thank you Etienne._ Not that she was ready for kids but she could play the part of Stepmother, maybe hire a nanny.

She didn't mind becoming the second Mrs. LeBeau. She'd done her research on the man, of course, and if his womanizing behavior were an indication she was quite sure she wouldn't be the last woman to wear his ring…or he paid alimony to.

"Anywhere I want to go, huh?" she said and licked her lips slowly trying to be seductive, "How about my place," she suggested.

Remy's eyes darted up to the rooftop across the street. The person he was looking for wasn't there.

"Oui, ma belle," he said as he turned to let her lead the way off of the balcony giving one last glance to the rooftop.

* * *

Jonathan Silvercloud was a full blood Cheyenne Native American. Apparently he was the first of his family to venture off the Montana reservation since they'd settled there at the end of the 19th century. With encouragement from his teachers touting his excellent mind but against his father's wishes that he remain and preserve their heritage, he left. Simple as that.

He was in town on business. However he and his work associates arrived early for some New Orleans style partying. The business would start the next day, well into the afternoon if he was lucky.

Ororo and Jonathan had made their way back to the VIP section but the noise of the crowd was too much to carry on a casual conversation. After texting Jean and letting her friend know her whereabouts and whom she was with they found the parked limousine and climbed in.

More wine was poured, more conversation was had. He was a nice guy, Ororo decided. He lived in Texas and worked for the government. Doing what, he didn't exactly say. It didn't concern her. It was just nice to have some company without worrying if she was being a bother.

"So, is this the last time I'll be able to see you?" he asked.

"Most likely. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"I've been here for two weeks," Ororo laughed.

"Then it is I that was too late. That's a shame," he said as he inched closer to her.

Ororo noticed his movements. He was closing in on her. She watched as his face neared hers. His eyes focused on her lips.

"May I," he asked from mere inches away.

Ororo's breath caught and she held it briefly then breathed out, "No."

"No?"

"No, I can't," she said as she moved away.

"I should have asked… You're seeing someone?"

"Yes and no. It's complicated. Very complicated," she said, not sure if she was talking about Remy or Hank.

"I see," Jonathan said as he leaned away.

Ororo smiled softly. "Do you?"

"No," he said. "Why do women always say "it's complicated"?" he asked using his fingers to make air quotations. "Nothing outside of understanding the universe is all that complicated. I believe it is you, Ms. Munroe that is complicated."

Ororo sighed, smile still intact. "You don't know me, Mr. Silvercloud."

"I don't have to. Your sex will always make things harder than need be."

Ororo laughed. "And we were the perpetrators of the Original Sin."

"Exactly! Now you're getting it." Ororo threw her clutch at him which he dodged easily.

After their laughter died down he continued, "I really wish it wasn't so complicated," he said sincerely.

"Me too."

"Not for your benefit but for mine." He smiled again. Ororo smiled back softly.

Quick taps on the window interrupted their silent moment. Ororo quickly let the window down.

"The rest of your party is on their way down," the driver said then stepped back onto the curb.

"Well, Ororo, I've had a wonderful time talking to you."

"Yes, it's been nice."

Jonathan reached into his inside coat pocket and handed her his card. "Call me when it isn't so complicated."

Ororo smiled and nodded. She knew she'd never be making that call.

Jonathan stepped out into the night air then leaned back in, "This is the first time I've ever kept a resolution. Thank you."

"It was your accomplishment, Mr. Raincloud. Good night."

"Good night."

He closed the door giving her a final smile.

Ororo leaned back into the seat. Everyone kept telling her how easy everything could be…Remy, her mother, Jean and now a complete stranger. _When did heartbreak become easy? Am I the one that's making it so hard? Am I supposed to be the bigger person and just get over deception? No one seems to understand how hurt I was. _

Ororo sighed and closed her eyes tightly shutting out the noise from outside. Visions of Remy with Emma assaulted her. He once touched her like that but everything between them was ruined now. She had to let him go…had to let him be happy.

She decided to make a resolution too.

_I'm done living in the past. I'm letting the past go as of this moment. And maybe…just maybe…one day…it won't be so complicated._

She turned Jonathan's card over in her fingers then tucked it into her purse.

_Out with the old._

* * *

Remy liked Emma fine. She was nice to look at. Had a decent body…a little too thin. Eager to please. _A little too eager to please._

Remy lay in her bed tangled up in her sheets. He cradled his tender manhood. She always seemed to overdo it. She tried too hard in the sack and his groin always paid the price for it afterwards.

He listened as she cleaned up and changed in the bathroom. It felt all so domestic. He wondered if his dick could survive being married to her.

Remy held in a snort. He had to have been losing his mind. He didn't want to be married. Well…not to her. He'd had the one he wanted and now she was another's.

_Too late to cry over spilled milk._ _I have my and Etienne's futures to think about._ Remy thought, giving himself a bit of tough love. It was absolutely over with Ororo. It was one thing to make him into a foolish hopeful sap but it was another when his son was involved.

He knew Ororo had no idea what had happened on Christmas morning but it would be better for Etienne to not hear any mention of her or have any contact. That's why he didn't give him the gifts she'd sent through Jean. Etienne's break would be clean unlike the messy catastrophe they'd made. _She'd made._ _Damn her. What more would it have taken? I've bled for that woman yet she wasn't willing to forgive me!_ Remy's brows furrowed deep in thought as he stared up into the ceiling._ Even though I know she wants too…_

"Penny for your thoughts…," Emma said as she breezed out of the bathroom applying fruity scented lotion to her skin as she approached.

Remy looked at her. She'd changed into lingerie. Her body didn't fill it out. It just hung, where on someone else that shall not be named, it would have clung and tantalized.

"I was thinking how lucky I am to be with such a beautiful woman tonight," he lied.

"Well," she said, her voice lowered in an attempt to sound seductive, "it is technically New Years Day. You know what that means don't you?"

"Non, chérie, tell me."

"Whatever you do on New Years' Day you do all year long," she said as she got into bed and nestled herself next to him. "It seems you will be doing me."

Remy forced a smile and hummed a half hearted approval. "Lucky me."

* * *

Ororo and Devin drove quietly to the airport. Both lost in their own thoughts. Devin, true to form for a teenager, stared out the passenger side window brooding. His world was ending. Leaving Ginny was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

Ororo on the other hand was relieved. She'd left this city many times but this time it felt so final. She knew she'd be back in the city to visit her family and friends. But an aspect of her life had ended. Her saga with Remy was over with. Done. She was going to make good on her resolution…let the past go.

All that was left for her to do was to talk to Hank. To end things with him. Then…then what? Then maybe her life wouldn't be so…complicated.


	18. Chapter 18

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 18

A/N: I know this is a short chapter but I figured something was better than nothing. Nothing! as in that's all I've had time to write! My schedule has really changed and unfortunately it's not leaving a lot of time to write (which is what I'd much rather be doing!) Love you guys and thanks for sticking with me and this story and for all the reviews! I'll respond to reviews in the next day or so. Right now I am in need of ZzZzZzZZZzzzz!

* * *

While still in New Orleans Ororo and Hank played phone tag, leaving messages for one to call the other, and then ignoring the call once it came in. Ororo had been back in New York for two days. She'd only talked to Hank once and only briefly on the day she'd returned to let him know she was home safely.

Today was her first day back at work and she'd tried calling his cellphone once again. Ororo had been fully expecting to reach his voicemail; it surprised her when he'd actually answered. She was both relieved and nervous to talk to him.

The display on the digital clock read 11:23. She'd told Hank she'd meet him at the Brand Corporation building lobby at noon and they'd have lunch. They needed to discuss some things and he agreed. Reluctance coated both voices as they spoke.

Her desk was stacked with paperwork that needed to be caught up on. This time of year her company liquidated their assets in preparation for the final phase of deconstruction of bought out businesses. Ororo tried not to think of that aspect of her job but for some reason it was really getting to her. Probably because most of these days weren't big corporations but mom and pop businesses…the little guy not able to fight through the recession. And here she was, making a living off of their demise. This wasn't how her life was supposed to be. Everything was just so…wrong.

She moved the papers to the side and logged off her computer. Too much was happening in her life to think about where everything had gone off track; even though in the back of her mind she knew exactly where her life train derailed.

Ororo pulled off her black heels and replaced them with her weather boots. The snow had started and didn't seem to want to stop but life in the city goes on regardless. Some how she'd managed to forget her gloves at home but the pockets of her thick coat would do. She pulled it on and made sure her wallet was in her purse then tugged the hood over her thick white mane. She'd started wearing it down sometime in the last week…because it kept the chill off of her neck she reasoned.

"Katherine?" she called as exited her office. The young assistant was sitting at her desk with a grin that only love could cause. Ororo returned her bright smile with a knowing one of her own.

Over the Holidays Ororo's boss, Piotr and Katherine had gotten to know each other a little bit better. Piotr didn't go back to Russia for the holidays and Katherine couldn't bear the thought of him being alone while everyone else was with their families. So she invited him home with her, to the Catskill Mountains of New York. On a long walk, on a cold sunny afternoon they'd finally admitted to each other their interest in the other. They'd been inseparable ever since.

"I'm going to lunch. I may be a little late getting back," Ororo said.

"All right, no problem," Katherine replied, her grin firmly intact.

Ororo noticed that Katherine's focus wasn't on her but just behind her. Ororo followed her eyes and saw Piotr talking to another co-worker as he cast his own looks back to his new love. Ororo smiled between the two and shook her head. She remembered being distracted and elated to the point of frustration for just the same reasons as they.

Ororo sighed and tossed a 'See ya later' over her shoulder.

* * *

The long corridor was a sterile white. Each door looked like the other but Hank would be easy to find if the young man at the reception desk directions were accurate. Hank was supposed to meet Ororo in the lobby but after waiting fifteen minutes she decided to try to find him herself.

Ororo listened to the heels of her shoes echo with each step she took. Her eyes were focused on the last door on the left when suddenly between the quiet she heard loud hearty laughter. After a few seconds Ororo realized that it belonged to Hank. She almost didn't recognize his voice; she'd never heard him laugh like that before…about anything…ever. Her brows knitted together in realization. They had no joy between them. Ororo quickened her pace. This was yet another reason on the long list as to why taking the relationship any further would be a terrible mistake.

She slowed her steps when she came upon the slightly ajar door and peered inside. Hank was speaking animatedly…delight laced his voice. Hank was standing next to a woman that was actually a bit shorter than his five foot eight height.

And even though Ororo had just happened upon the scene she knew the woman was flirting by the way she leaned into Hank's side with her own, and slapped playfully at his arm as she giggled at whatever it was they were talking about.

Ororo knocked softly then pushed the door a little farther open and stood in the entry. She cleared her throat when the two failed to notice her entry.

Hank was so into what he and Trish were working on that he gave Ororo a double take, initially not realizing it was she at first glance.

Trish turned and smiled brightly at the new arrival. "Hi," she greeted. "Can we help you?"

Hank didn't give Ororo the opportunity to answer. "Ororo! I am so sorry!" he said as he stepped to her and gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek. "I completely forgot about our lunch date. Let me grab my coat. I'll be right back."

Ororo smiled softly and nodded as he disappeared through an adjacent door then turned her attention to the other woman in the room. Ororo noticed the smile was gone from the woman's face. In its place was a look of dejection.

"Hello," Ororo said. "I'm so sorry for interrupting your work."

"Hi," Trish said hoarsely before clearing her throat. "No need to apologize. The work is always here." An awkward silence stood between the two women. "My name is Trish. Trish Tilby," she finally said and stepped forward extending her hand to Ororo.

"Ororo Munroe," she replied as she replicated the shorter woman's movements.

Trish's eyes automatically focused on the glimmering jewel on Ororo's left ring finger. She watched it as it rose to adjust the strap of Ororo's purse when it almost slipped off her shoulder.

Trish was surprised. Her usually firm grip was limp and she withdrew quickly. "Engagement ring?" she asked simply.

"Oh, um…Yes," Ororo shyly admitted as she hid away her hand and the ring deep inside her coat pocket. She watched disappointment encased Trish's body and aura. Ororo felt bad for wearing the ring. She'd considered leaving it in the box but thought it would be better to not raise any alarms in Hank before they had a chance to sit and talk.

"Congratulations," Trish said in a small voice.

Once again, Ororo did not have to respond. Hank reappeared from the door he'd exited through with his heavy winter coat on as well as carrying a thick scarf and gloves. "All set," he said as he approached Ororo. "After you," he said to Ororo as he moved around her to open the door.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tilby." Ororo said.

"Miss…it's Miss Tilby. And you too," Trish responded.

Ororo nodded in acknowledgement then turned and exited the door. Hank gave Trish a tight smile as he followed after his fiancé, shutting the door behind him.

Trish turned back to her work, staring down blankly at the documents laid out before her. She felt so defeated…so stupid. She knew Hank was seeing someone. She just didn't think it was as serious as it obviously is. _No wonder Hank thinks of me as nothing special…plain old Trish. His girlfriend…fiancé is beautiful._

_

* * *

_

"This is nice," Ororo said as she slid into the booth of the small café around the corner from Brand.

"Yes it is. I didn't know it was here until Trish brought me just this week."

_Ah…Trish._ "You two are good friends then?" Ororo tried to sound innocent in her inquisition.

Hank shrugged. "I wouldn't say that. We've worked together for a while."

"She seems very nice."

"I guess," Hank responded absently as he grabbed then passed Ororo one of two menus.

Ororo eyed him carefully. _He has no idea that woman is totally smitten with him._

The waiter approached the table and placed two glasses of water in front of them. "Do you need more time?"

"I'd just like a cup of hot tea," Ororo stated.

Hank closed his menu. They had come to talk, not really to eat lunch. "I'll have the same," he said. "Oh! But I would like to have one of your hot cinnamon rolls for carry-out."

The waiter nodded and quickly retreated to get their order.

Ororo arched a delicate eyebrow at him. Hank wasn't particularly a fan of sweets. "Cinnamon roll?"

"Ah, yes. Trish seems to really like them. She'd kill me if she knew I'd come here and didn't get her one."

Ororo hummed her understanding._ And he has no idea that he's totally smitten with her too._

Well, Ororo didn't see why they should avoid the inevitable. "Henry…about what happened in New Orleans…"

Hank held his hand up. "I know. I was out of line. I assure you it was the alcohol talking."

"That may be so but you had every right to be angry." Ororo paused while the waiter placed their teas in front of them and asked them if they needed anything else. Both shook their head and began sweetening their tea. Ororo continued once he was out of earshot. "I've been very disrespectable...before and after New Orleans. Disrespectful and selfish. Henry, you deserve so much more."

She debated about telling him about her night with Remy and decided against it. She didn't want to add to his hurt…and she was ashamed. Ashamed of accepting his ring then sleeping with another man as it lay on the bedside table.

"I've given our relationship some thought too, Ororo. And you're right. I do deserve more…," Hank said.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're in love…just not with me."

Ororo dropped her head, "God knows…," she said then lifted her head after a moment. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Hank took a sip of his barely sweetened tea. "Better now than later. We could have done some real damage had we gone through with our plans."

"You're right," Ororo said then finally tasted her own overly sweetened tea, letting it warm her from the inside. This talk was going better than she'd expected. Hank was indeed a truly special man.

"So what are you going to do?" Hank asked. It was a loaded question. He knew Ororo was struggling with her own inner demons when it came to her past relationship with her ex-husband.

"I don't know…" Hank wasn't the person who she could or should spill her current disaster with Remy to. "What about you?"

"I'm going to throw myself into work. Get over this. Then try again," he smiled at her warmly.

Usually Ororo didn't pry in others' relationships but she did believe in giving opportunities just as she'd done with Katherine and Piotr. "That's a smart thing to do. Kill two birds with one stone," she smiled as she took another sip from her teacup.

Hank looked at her questioningly. She was going to have to point him in the right direction. "Trish…"

"Trish? What about her?" he questioned completely bewildered.

Okay, so she was going to have to spell it out for him. "She's crazy about you, Henry. How can you not see that? And if that cinnamon roll he's packing up is an indicator…," she said as she tilted her head towards their waiter behind the counter, "you may be a bit taken with her too."

Hank sat back in his seat, brows furrowed in thought. Ororo watched with interesting eyes as his face expressed everything he was thinking, from confusion to contemplation to acceptance.

"Well…I don't know," he said as the corners of his lips slightly rose at the thought.

Ororo was amused and relieved. She didn't want to hurt Hank and was glad that perhaps she hadn't done as much damage as she'd thought. It just further proved that it was not meant to be. She reached into the depths of her purse and pulled out the ring box he'd given her and opened it. Ororo took off the engagement ring and placed it into the box and slid it over to Hank.

"Thank you," he said in response.

"No, thank you for giving me a chance. I wish things could have been different."

"Me too."


	19. Chapter 19

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter 19

AN: OMGosh! It's been too long and I still have no time! I figured I'd go ahead and post this even though I wanted to get a little farther. (And it reads like an outline) But instead, I'll post this and wish everyone HAPPY HOLIDAYS! and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Oh! I know I said that there were only about five more chapters left. There may be more as the chapters may be shorter than expected. Love to all and wishing you all safety, warmth, and blessings!

* * *

It had been a long day and Remy was glad to have finally have made it to the hotel. Even though he'd only been in the August heat for a total of twenty minutes he felt miserable and sticky with sweat. He'd immediately found the first available chair and poured himself into it letting the air condition soothe his travel weary mind. Eyes closed and his long legs stretched out in front of him he could finally relax.

Usually travelling was a pleasure for him but he should have known this time it wouldn't be the case. However, this trip wasn't really all about pleasure…not really. Remy had a job to do…get Ginny to New York safely, keep her safe for the two weeks they would be there, then get her back home safely per Camille's orders.

Neither the girl, nor her grandmother had ever flown before. No matter how much Remy tried to convince them of how convenient and safe it was compared to the way they usually travelled by bus. They were always too afraid. The first cruise he'd sent them on felt like a triumphant victory.

With more determination than apprehension Ginny boarded the plane to New York. It had been four months since spring break; the last time she'd seen Devin. The anticipation of seeing him was killing her and Remy teased her relentlessly about it.

But it wasn't Ginny that caused Remy to feel like he'd just finished pushing and elephant uphill. It was his son and his…girlfriend. He and Etienne had taken many trips together and handling the young boy was relatively easy. However, the boy's new ill-content, morose attitude wasn't about making life easy for his father. And Emma's diva tactics was something he was slowly learning to live with. Although he did notice that both his son and Emma's actions were getting worse and worse with every day that passed.

"Papa?" Etienne's voice was low and had softness to it that Remy hadn't heard in a while…since Christmas perhaps.

Remy opened his eyes and took in the boy's demeanor. Etienne had just had a birthday. He was nine years old and getting taller and thinner every day. But now his son's shoulders slumped as if trying to make him self as small as possible.

"What is it, Etienne?"

"Is there anyway…" he hesitated afraid to finish his question.

"Go on, son," Remy prodded.

"Can we go see, Ms. O while we're here?" the boy finally asked.

Remy wasn't sure if the question caught him off guard or not. Ever since he'd agreed to chaperone the trip thoughts of Ororo entered his head if he wanted them to or not. He tried hard not to think of her…to focus on Emma. But Emma wasn't her and he found himself comparing the woman in his life to the woman that was his wife.

Emma was high-maintenance, always picking out the most expensive things…be it from something as simple as wine to the penthouse suite he was now sitting in. Not that he minded spending the money. It just rubbed him the wrong way…the way she'd insist. He'd have to tell Ororo that money wasn't an issue when she'd fret over cost or bills. Emma, on the other hand, didn't bother to look at price tags.

Etienne watched his father's tired face tense and knew exactly what he was going to say. It's not like they hadn't had this conversation before…

"Etienne," Remy sighed "we've talked about this already. Ororo is not a part of our life. What you saw…her and I together…it was a mistake, son."

"But Papa, I just want to see her. She's my friend."

"Etienne, listen to me…"

"No!" Etienne yelled cutting him off. "You listen to me! I want to see Ms. O!"

Remy wasn't surprised by his outburst. It had been happening a lot lately. Remy could only assume it was from the heartbreak of realizing that he wasn't going to get his wish of having a mother. As a father that loved his child dearly, he tried to fix the problem. He brought Emma over frequently giving Etienne a chance to get to know her...to move on like he was doing. However the boy just seemed to get angrier and angrier.

"No, Etienne! I've had enough!" Remy said as he stood towering over the four foot nothing boy, his finger pointed menacingly at him. "No more temper tantrums. No more! I won't have it!"

Remy's anger was reflected in the horror on the boy's face. He'd never spoken to his son like that before, there was never any need and he felt bad immediately. "Go to your room and unpack your clothes," Remy said his voice lowered to almost a whisper.

The shock Etienne wore faded and in its place was one of contained fury and resentment. His father recognized it instantly; he'd worn the same expression for most of his teenage years.

Etienne turned and walked toward the doorway ignoring the two women that had come to investigate the yelling. He brushed past them as he exited. Ginny followed quickly.

Emma stood just inside the door and waited for Remy to speak. When he didn't she did, "Is everything all right?"

Remy sat and exhaled. "It will be. Sooner or later." He believed that. With time Etienne would be fine.

Emma tried to sashay across the plush carpet but her hips barely filled out the red pencil skirt she wore. She deposited herself in Remy's lap, she wrapped her sleeveless thin arms around his neck. "Is there anything I can do to make it better?" she asked attempting to sound seductive.

Remy heard her attempt but ignored it. He wasn't interested in her as a lover at that moment. He was more curious about her maternal nature. Etienne wanted and needed a mother figure. It's time for Remy to see what Emma was made of. "Yes, actually there is." Emma's twisted smirk blossomed into a full grin then suddenly dropped when she heard his next words. "I need you to spend more time with Etienne."

Emma panicked a little on the inside but held it in check with a chuckle. "We're with Etienne all the time," she tried to reason.

"I know we are but I need for you to spend time with him. Get to know him."

Emma wanted to ask why but refrained. This was obviously some testament to the seriousness of their relationship. She knew that Remy let very few people close to his son and the fact that he wanted her to spend time with him spoke volumes. He was ready to seal the deal. The only thing she had to do was win over the kid and she'd be set…possibly for life.

"You're right, sweetheart. I think that's an excellent idea."

* * *

The window unit air conditioner blew as hard as it could but it barely managed to cool the small space of Ororo's living and kitchen area. She'd resorted to wearing nothing but shorts and a tank top while at home. Her hair was long gone. The heat was one excuse to cut it but she was doing a lot of starting over. A good haircut was an extension of that, a short versatile crop that could be worn with a conservative part or transformed into a saucy little spiked up Mohawk.

The latter ungelled, unstraightened wavy do is what she currently wore as she lay on the couch slowly fanning herself. She flipped through an old issue of Cosmo and wished the midday sun would let up.

She usually enjoyed being at home on Saturdays but being at work in the artificial cool air was a blessing as the heat baked and suffocated the city. While not at work she tried beating the heat and her steadily inclining electric bill by spending time volunteering at the community outreach center, however rolling power outages from a/c over usage kept it and most businesses in the same or even worse states than her tiny apartment.

The community center had been closed for the last two Saturdays. With no Devin to be found Ororo had no real options to occupy her time. She was stuck inside trying not to bake. She dressed down, didn't turn on her stove unless she absolutely had to and resorted to using candles and her small bedside lamp instead of turning on the overhead lights when she wasn't reading.

Ororo sighed and threw the magazine to the floor as she sat up. She'd originally purchased the magazine because of a cover article that caught her eye in a grocery checkout line, "How To Get What You Need From Relationships." She quickly realized within the first paragraph the "what you need" was actually pertaining to sex as were ninety-five percent of the other articles.

She didn't need to learn how to have mind-blowing orgasms; she'd had plenty of those. Nevertheless reading about it was a good way to pass an hour or so until her favorite HBO shows came on later that night.

Ororo looked at the clock…barely an hour into the afternoon. "God, this day is never going to end," Ororo said to no one as she stood to go to the kitchen for another Popsicle. However the song from her cellphone stopped her.

She didn't bother to look at the number assuming it was Jean. Jean…pregnant woman of little patience, most likely couldn't wait for Ororo to call her and give her the details of her trip to Boston this coming weekend for her baby shower.

"Hello?" Ororo said after sliding her finger across the screen of her new iPhone to accept the call.

"Hello? Ororo?"

Her brows furrowed in stunned recognition when she heard the deep voice greet her in return. "Henry?

"Yes, it's Hank," he said then continued after an awkward pause. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"No, not at all," Ororo sat back down on her couch. She hadn't heard from Hank since that snowy day in the diner. The day they'd ended things. Even though they ended things on a friendly note she honestly hadn't expected to hear from him ever again. "How have you been?" she asked in hopes of getting to the bottom of the random phone call.

"I've been great," he said. There was a chipper tone to his voice. Ororo smiled a bit when she heard it. He sounded genuinely happy. "That's why I called."

"Oh?" Ororo sounded, not hiding her confusion.

"Yes, actually. I'm getting married."

"Oh?" she repeated dumbly.

"Yes, to Trish."

"Trish?" Ororo asked. The name sounded familiar but she couldn't recall from where she'd heard it.

"Yes…my co-worker. She was in the lab on the day you came up," he tried refreshing her memory without rehashing the events of that relationship-ending day.

"Oh yes! Trish! The cute doctor lady."

"Indeed. Well, it seems you were right about our attractions. We started dating and you know how those things go…" he hesitated as he knew she did know how those things went; in their case they went badly. "Well, I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

"That's great news, Henry." She meant it too. Ororo could tell after only a few minutes that Trish had feelings for Hank that ran deeper than coworker status. It's nice that he finally realized that too.

She quickly did the math in her head. They'd only been dating about seven months now. A month longer than she and Hank dated before he popped the question to her. It seemed strange that he'd go from being engaged to one woman then to the next in such a short time.

"Thank you. And I have to shamefully admit it's a bit of a shotgun wedding. She's having my baby," Hank gushed full of pride.

There it was! The answer to her unannounced curiosity. Never the less Ororo was almost speechless. "Oh my…oh…" Ororo's faltered, a bit taken aback by the bombardment of news. "Congratulations! Congratulations to you both."

"Thank you, Ororo. Everything's happening so fast but it feels right. Everything feels right…"

His sentence trailed off into an abyss of unspoken words but Ororo heard them loud and clear, _"Everything feels right, not the way it was with you." _He didn't have to say it. She knew it was true.

"Good for you, Henry. You deserve it. You're a great man," Ororo confessed.

Hank smiled but didn't respond to that particular sentiment, "The reason I'm calling is to ask that you be in attendance at our wedding. You're the reason we're so happy and I'd just like for you to be there."

"Uh…sure, yes! Absolutely!" Ororo replied again taken by surprise by the invitation.

"You will? That's fantastic. Trish will be pleased to hear." Again Ororo could hear the happiness in his voice. It sounded good on him. He deserved it. "So…" his voice pulled her from her musings. "How've you been?"

"I've been good. Working, volunteering, home."

"Volunteering? You finally made the time to do it then."

"Yes, I can't believe I waited so long. It's really fulfilling and I enjoy it a lot."

"Good for you, Ororo."

"Yep," is all that Ororo could come up with in response. She didn't want to go into details about it. Most people weren't really interested even when they asked her about it. Their eyes would glaze over once she got to the part about organic city gardens and nutrition education.

"Ororo, may I ask you a personal question…I mean, if you don't mind," Hank said after a heavy pause.

Ororo laughed. "You can ask. Doesn't mean I have to answer."

"True," Hank chuckled in response.

"Shoot."

"Have you talked to your ex-husband?"

The question completely came out of left field and threw Ororo for a loop. The whole phone call was one surprise after another! Why would Hank ask such a question?

"No…why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Ororo," he said as he prepared himself to lift the heavy burden he'd been carrying for months too long, "I know that you slept with him that night. I saw you when Scott dropped you off at your parents' home the next morning." Ororo was once again speechless as she tried to gather a response but none was necessary. Hank stopped her undecipherable attempts to form a coherent sentence. "I'll admit that I was hurt but it helped me to realize that we just weren't meant to be. I'm happy now and I want you to be too."

"Oh, Henry…I'm so sorry," Ororo said as silent tears fell from her eyes. She didn't want to hurt Hank and it seemed that she'd done so at every turn.

"It's in the past now. I've gotten over it because I know what we had wasn't real no matter how hard we tried to convince ourselves. If it didn't happen that night, it would have happened another night. But that isn't why I brought him up. I don't want to stick my nose into your business but as you were a part of my life and I cared…care a lot about you," he corrected. "You guided me towards my happiness and I just want you to be happy too."

"Thank you, Henry, for forgiving me…for understanding. I never wanted to intentionally hurt you. I hope you know that."

"I do. I know you know how much a heart can ache. And despite that hurt I know you still love him," he said shifting the focus of the conversation back to the ex-lovers. Hank continued, "…and he still loves you too."

She lay back on her couch, face to the ceiling with her eyes resting shut, trying to gather her thoughts as she listened to his words. She'd worked hard to move past Remy in the last months…finally setting him free after ruining what little they had. Now here's Hank poking his finger in her tender wound…prodding it with his happiness.

"He still keeps a picture of you in his nightstand."

Ororo opened her eyes. "What? How do you know this?" she asked.

"Roxanne told me."

"Who is Roxanne?"

"Christmas Eve, you know, the one barely dressed," Hank smiled.

"Ah…your bar mate."

"Yes, my bar mate. She's a fantastic drinking buddy. Not much use for anything else."

"I'm sure Remy would disagree," Ororo said trying to hide the bitterness in her voice but failing miserably.

Hank blushed as he remembered Roxanne's words, _"He can fuck like a beast."_ "Nevertheless, she told me. He keeps your picture next to his bed. After almost ten years you're still there…"

"Yeah…" Ororo said. She couldn't tell him that she was sure that picture had most likely been thrown out the window. She couldn't tell him about the big fight she and Remy had after she'd betrayed him. It was better left unsaid. "Thank you, Henry, but I've finally decided to leave the past behind and not to dwell on it. I'm working on myself."

"For the better I hope."

"Anything would be better."

"All right, Ororo. I just thought I'd tell you. I don't know what happened between the two of you but I do know that you deserve to be happy too…even if it's with him. I mean that."

Ororo smiled. "Thank you, Henry."

"Well, I'll get the invite in the mail to you today. I look forward to seeing you. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you again, Henry. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Good bye."

"Good bye."

* * *

Somewhere during Scott's begging Remy ended up making a trip within a trip. He didn't mind though. It gave Jean a chance to get to know Emma better and him and opportunity to spend some time with Scott.

Some of Jean's work friends were giving her a baby shower even though she'd already had one a month a go when she'd come home to New Orleans. However, that shower was mainly for her parent's house. Her old room was now a full nursery decorated with the gifts she'd received that day.

Fortunate for him, men weren't required and he, Logan, and Scott spent most of the weekend at Harry's. Besides that, Emma had to work, which worked out well in his mind. He wasn't ready for Emma to meet his ex-wife just yet…or ever if it could be helped.

He'd only managed to glimpse Ororo once in passing. He didn't acknowledge her presence and made damn sure she realized that he didn't care she was on the planet.

Too many years had gone by with him pining for her, hoping for forgiveness. It was obvious to him now that it was never going to come. He may have broken her heart but she'd destroyed him when she'd walked out his front door on Christmas morning. Now he was tired of licking his wounds. It was time to heal and move on.

He reached over and took Emma's hand and squeezed it. They shared a gentle smile. Emma had elaborate tastes but other than that she was quite the catch. Not only that, she'd been extra considerate of Etienne. The boy was still defensive but he would get past it with time.

It's not like he was used to having someone filling the role Emma was playing. Remy was always sure not to let any of his female companions get close to his son. But now it was time to settle down and have that big family he'd always wanted…for him self and for Etienne. Eventually they'd both learn to love her.

Remy navigated the twisting streets of the neighborhood. Each house was large and seemed to look alike. The homes were what most would describe as McMansions. Elaborate facades with double garages built too close together. A Mercedes or Range Rover parked in each drive.

It was Scott who'd won the argument of where to live with his rationality. Remy knew Jean would have preferred an older home, one with "character" she'd say. But Scott would insist on a newly built home with a warranty and in the vicinity of the best school the area had to offer. Scott's logic won out with the former point being made.

Scott and Jean's house was easy to spot; pink and blue balloons were tied to the mailbox along with streamers of the same colors surrounding the entrance. There were already unfamiliar cars parked in the driveway along with Scott's Range Rover. Remy spied Jean's small SUV parked inside the partially opened garage.

"This is it," Remy said.

Emma hummed an acknowledgment but Remy was mostly talking to himself. He was finally bringing someone…a woman into the personal lives of his friends. Sure he'd had female companions at his own fundraisers or for an evening out with friends. However, this would be the first time he'd invited one to something as personal as this occasion, even if it was being hosted by Jean's co-workers. It was his friends' home, their private life, celebrating a private event. But it was time they too got over the past and moved forward.

Remy stood just behind Emma as they waited for someone to open the door. His hands were a bit clammy…he was nervous. He knew Emma could hold her own and Jean seemed to like her upon their initial meeting on New Year's Eve, however they didn't stay long. The red head could have just been being polite to what she considered his latest exploit. However today, she'd have ample time to tear the girl apart if she wanted.

After pressing the doorbell a second time someone finally began to open the door. Remy fully expected to see Jean or Scott or some unfamiliar smiling face. Instead the face that haunted him stood before him. Her initial vibrant smile fade into one of forced confusion.

_I'm going to fucking kill Scott._

Ororo stared at the new arrivals. It took her a moment to compute that it was Remy and the woman from New Years Eve standing before her. _I'm going to ef'ing kill Jean._

Fortunately for the ex-couple Jean's glowing face appeared behind Ororo and pulled her aside. "Remy! Emma! Come in. Come in!" she gushed.

Jean ignored the scowl Remy was sporting and instead focused on Emma's perfect grinning teeth. "Emma, it's so good to see you again," she said as the two leaned into an air kiss careful to avoid Jean's protruding belly.

"You too," Emma said as she and Jean brushed past Ororo and disappeared into an adjoining room.

Ororo chanced a look at Remy as he closed the glass storm door. Gone was the scowl and in its place was a cold expression. It reminded her of their turbulent beginnings when they were teens. During those times she could barely tell if he hated her or if he wouldn't care if she'd existed at all. Now, she could only assume it was both.

"Hello, Remy," she said as he glided by her in pursuit of Emma and Jean.

His only response was silence. She stared at his back as he disappeared around the corner.

Ororo closed the door. "This is going to be fun," she mumbled to herself.


	20. Chapter 20

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty

AN: Duck! Drive By Posting! Sorry so short! Work is still occupying my time but I figured something was better than nothing. Hope you guys like this chapter. It's mostly filler for the finale which is coming soon! Thank you for all the reviews, questions, suggestions. Keep'em coming!

And there's no BETA! Please let me know if there are any glaring mistakes! Being that I've been so busy I've barely had a chance to re-read.

* * *

Remy leaned against the pool table and watched as Scott lined up his shot. The Boy Scout had gotten better at the game since the last time they'd played. Usually he could clean up the table after Scott's weak attempts at breaking. But this time Scott gave him a run for his money, dropping multiple balls on his first shot.

"You've been practicing," Remy said.

"Yeah…a little," Scott admitted with a smirk as he leaned over the table preparing to make his third shot in a row.

"You know, if I weren't so distracted…this game would be over already, homme."

"Distracted?" Scott asked then made his shot. He stood and stepped away from the table deciding how to approach his next shot. "Distracted by what?" he asked as if he didn't know.

Remy snorted. "You know damn well," he said after Scott missed his shot and he approached the table. Remy took aim. "Jean's down there probably being…well, Jean. And Ro…I didn't know she was going to be here." He missed his shot. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Scott shook his head. The shot Remy missed was an easy one. He was really distracted. "I don't see anything wrong with inviting our best friends over. Ororo was going to be here and you were in town…simple as that."

Two more shots and Scott would win.

Remy shook his head. "It's never 'simple as that.'"

"No shit," Scott said to Remy's surprise as he sunk another striped ball. Scott moved around the table and lined up another shot. "We all spent Christmas Eve together and you two are acting like old friends. Jean and I were under the impression that it was okay for you two to be in the same room again. Did I miss something?" Scott asked as he dropped another ball into a corner pocket.

Remy caught Scott's accusing eyes and realized the implications behind his friend's words. "You know damn well what happened between us on Christmas Eve."

"I just know what I saw," Scott said as he pulled his cue back and struck the white ball. Miss. Scott stood and sighed his disappointment at both the shot and at Remy, "Two people making themselves miserable."

"What you saw, mon amie, was one person making the other miserable," Remy looked at the table, solid balls covered the green canvas. He chose an easy shot to start. "That night, I thought I had my life back. She made me think I had everything…" His ball fell into the pocket. "Then the next day…in a few minutes, it was all gone." He lined up another shot. "She made a fool out of me."

Remy pulled the cue back. "Now you know how you made her feel," Scott said.

Scratch.

* * *

Ororo slipped into the kitchen and away from the festivities of the shower. Jean's co-workers were really nice but she didn't think she could stand one more second of listening to them talk about their children, husbands…the life they had that she wanted so desperately.

Most of all she didn't want to sit across from Emma as she interjected how ready she was to have those things and how she thought they were coming to her soon.

Ororo found herself looking at the woman and sizing her up at every given opportunity. So far she didn't see Remy's attraction. Not that Emma wasn't attractive, she definitely was…she just wasn't Remy's type. She seemed high maintenance. And she definitely wasn't like the party girl type that he'd taken with up with in the past. She was the opposite. Emma was refined, educated, and classy… Ororo hated her.

Remy had disappeared with Scott almost immediately. Jean had allowed her husband a man-cave in the basement and Ororo was sure that's where the men had escaped. A fifty-two inch LED TV, pool table, and beer was surely more appealing than guessing the names of the mashed up chocolate bars in the diapers.

She knew he'd be in the city. Devin had expressed how excited he was that Ginny was coming to visit and of course had told her the details. However she hoped that she wouldn't run into him even though she did want to see Etienne. She'd planned on having Devin ask Remy if it would be okay to bring the boy to see her but getting a hold of Devin had been a task in itself. He was never home and even his phone went straight to voicemail. He'd told her he wanted no disturbances. Ororo hadn't realized how serious he was.

Ororo opened the refrigerator, looking for what she didn't know but once she spotted a wine cooler hiding in the back she knew that was exactly what she needed to take the edge of the afternoon off. Sangria…Jean's favorite and the only evidence in the house of Jean's pre-baby life.

Six percent alcohol by volume would have to do her she decided, as she tasted the liquid.

"Please tell me there's another one in there," a voice said from behind her.

Ororo turned startled by the intrusion only to see the woman she was trying to escape. "No, sorry," she said to Emma, only she wasn't.

"Darn," Emma said. "Have you seen the man I came in with?"

Ororo shook her head as she moved to the other side of the kitchen to look out the French doors leading out into the tiny backyard. Emma followed much to Ororo's annoyance.

"God," she exhaled, exasperated. "He's not out there either," Emma said.

Ororo looked over at the younger woman and her frown. "Seems as if you're ready to go. Me too."

"Glad I'm not the only one. I hate these type of things," Emma said.

"Yeah," Ororo responded as she once again moved away.

Emma took her agreement as more than what it was. She'd been observing the other women in the room and Ororo had caught her attention. The white haired woman hadn't been formally introduced to her but the women called her Ro and didn't seem all that familiar with her. Jean would make attempts to talk to her but her responses where short and vague. Remy had told her his friend's coworkers were giving the shower. She could only assume that this woman was new and had only shown up as a courtesy of the invite. All those assumptions led Emma to believe she had a comrade in her agony.

"Do you have children?" Emma fished.

Ororo thought of Logan's kids, Jake and Amiko and his sister, Rose, and of Etienne. "No."

Emma read the look of contemplation on Ororo's face as one of distaste. "Me either. Can't really stand them actually. Hearing about other peoples' kids is just torture," she laughed.

The other women at the shower went on and on about their own experiences with their children, from childbirth to potty training. Ororo listened quietly as she hadn't experienced those things but Emma laughed and engage each woman with inquiries.

Ororo's brows furrows, "Didn't you tell someone that you couldn't wait to have your own soon?" Ororo distinctively remembered that. Her stomach knotted at the thought that this woman would possibly want to have those children with her ex.

"Pfft," Emma waved her hand in a dismissing manner. "That's just conversation."

"Oh," Ororo said.

"Emma's voice lowered and took on a conspiring tone, "Remy…the man I came with…has a son, that's enough for me. He's such a brat. If all kids are like him I don't ever want any." Ororo's look of confusion quickly changed to one of surprise as she listened to the young wolf in sheep's clothing. "His dad wants me to spend more time with him. I can do that if it's a means to an end."

"What do you mean?" Ororo asked. "…A means to an end?"

Emma stepped even closer to Ororo, "Well," she said. "Remy is the most eligible bachelor in New Orleans...but he's hung up on being a good dad. The kid is an in. If I can pull off playing mommy then the daddy's mine."

"Oh…"

"You saw him, didn't you?" Emma asked and continued once Ororo nodded. "He's hot but most of all he's rich. I've always wanted to marry a rich man," she laughed again then raised her voice to it's normal tone. "That's every girls' dream isn't it?"

"I guess."

"You guess? Of course it is! Wouldn't you love to have some rich guy sweep you off your feet and take care of you for the rest of your life?"

"I had that…once."

"Really?

"Here she is!" Jean said as she and Remy entered the kitchen. Her attention immediately went to Ororo holding her wine cooler. "Woman! I was saving this for the moment I finished breastfeeding!"

"Sorry," was all Ororo could say as she watched Remy wrap his arms around the other woman's waist and place a small kiss on her lips before turning back towards her.

"Making friends, Emma?" he asked looking over at Ororo with no readable expression on his face. He took the opportunity to really look at her. She looked great as usual…a noticeably thinner than usual but her dress still fit her nicely. The tight pinned up hair was gone. All of it was gone. In its place were short curls. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Ah…yes," she said as she turned to address Ororo, "I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name."

"It's Ororo. Ororo Munroe, Remy's ex-wife."

Emma cringed internally before stepping forward. "Nice to meet you." The sentiment sounded ridiculous after all she'd let spew from between her perfectly painted lips.

"Likewise," Ororo said taking her hand before looking pointedly at Remy. "How's Etienne? Did he like the birthday gift I sent him?" She released Emma's hand when she felt the woman's efforts to get out of the firm grasp.

"He's great." Remy ignored her second question. He never gave Etienne the gift. He was surprised when it had arrived on his doorstep. She'd remembered his son's birthday among all the information that had been poured on her in those few hours with him on Christmas Eve. If he didn't hate her so much he would have thought it was sweet. "We have to be getting back," he said.

"Leaving so soon?" Jean asked.

It was an innocent questioned but her expression communicated volumes. Remy read it easily, _'Running away already?'_ That's exactly what he was doing. He'd let Jean and Scott lure them there and it was time to get out of the fire.

"We've got to get back to the city. Etienne is expecting us," Remy said as he led Emma towards the front exit.

Jean, Scott, and Ororo followed behind him. Ororo spoke up once Emma had started her walk down the pathway towards the rental car. "Remy?" she called. "Can I talk to you for a second?" All eyes went to her, surprise and question emanating from them. Jean and Scott immediately exited the foyer and Emma stood watching intently.

Remy's eyes squinted in suspicion then he turned back towards Emma, "It'll only take a moment, chere." She nodded and went to the car. She was seated inside watching closely as Ororo stepped onto the small landing. "What is it?"

"I was wondering when would be a good time to see Etienne before you left? I didn't get to see him the last time I was home and I'd really like to."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because it just isn't," he replied sternly.

Ororo's forehead crinkled in frustration. "Because you're still mad at me you won't let me see him?"

"When you were mad at me you didn't want to see him."

"That's not fair, Remy."

"But it's true. You didn't want anything to do with him then. I don't want him to have anything to do with you now," he turned and began walking towards the car. "By the way, I hate your hair. You look ridiculous."


	21. Chapter 21

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-One

AN: Does two short updates equal one long update if posted back to back? lol Well...I'm going out of town, to guess where? New Orleans! to ring in the New Year. I thought I'd go ahead and post this since I'm going to be working straight through the week after I get back on the 2nd. Just so you know...I will be looking for Remy while I'm there. lol

On a serious note. I hammered this out in the last couple of hours and i hope it's not full of typos. I'm beginning to think no one will tell me if there are. I'd completely forgotten Logan's lil sister's name (Rose) in the last chapter and just typed astericks to remind myself to go back and change it. of course I forgot and not one said peep. lol So, with that said, No Beta. and please let me know if there are outrageous mistakes that i should be flogged about.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

* * *

Ororo had left within the hour of Remy's departure. She'd tried to hide it but Jean knew her…she was upset. Jean closed the door behind the last of the shower attendees. It had been a long day of trying to remain neutral and oblivious of the situation between the two people she cared an extreme amount about. But she did it and now she was exhausted.

Exhaustion aside she couldn't wait to rush to Scott who was in the kitchen tidying up to ask if he'd gained any new information. "Well," she said as she crossed the distance to stand next to him at the island, "did you find out anything new?"

"Not about Ororo but there was some interesting news about Emma," Scott said looking away from the counter he was wiping and over the rim of his glasses towards his wife. Her nose crinkled as she scrunched up her nose like she smelled something foul. She wouldn't like what he was about to say. "He's going to propose."

Jean stared at Scott wide-eyed and speechless but Scott knew the latter wouldn't last that long. "Are you kidding me? Propose? Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"No flipping way!" the redhead bellowed. "Did you tell him he's making a mistake? What did he say?"

"Of course I told him I didn't think it was a good idea. He's in love with another woman."

"And?" Jean asked anxiously.

"And nothing. There's nothing else to say. It's up to him and Ororo to fix their mess."

Much to Scott's surprise Jean said nothing but the look on her face said it all. His feisty wife felt defeated. She knew he was right and there was nothing they could do. It had been ten years after all. But there was one thing she could do. She could tell Ororo and after that it was out of her hands. Ororo could do what she wanted with the information. It was time for Jean to think of her own family.

Jean sighed and turned towards the entry of the kitchen, "I'm going to bed. Good night." She didn't wait for him to answer.

* * *

Ororo hailed a cab after exiting the Amtrak station. The Acela only took three and a half hours to travel from Boston to New York. She was always thankful for the quick trip but today it was a blessing. The sun was about to completely disappear she just wanted to be in her own home before letting the events of the day sink in.

Multiple cabs tried to pick up the pretty fair. She never had a problem catching a cab. She settled into the back and adjusted her tote and purse before giving the grinning driver directions. She ignored him. She didn't feel like tossing back and forth pleasantries. She was tired.

As soon as the car started to move Ororo heard the tone of her iPhone. It was Jean. Ororo was sure of what Jean wanted to talk about but she just didn't feel like it. The call went to voicemail. Jean hated leaving messages. Needless to say the tone interrupted the silence of the dark cab. This time Ororo rejected the call right away and let it go to voicemail. She was sure Jean would hang up but was surprised to see a message had been left.

The cab driver of course tried to hold a conversation with her about the ringing of the phone. Ororo was polite but kept the talk a minimal. She'd been in this scenario enough times to realize the cabby would eventually try to ask her out if she was too friendly.

This time it wasn't hard to act cold. She just wasn't in the mood to gently let someone down. Instead she pressed her voicemail button and listened to what Jean had to say, "Ro, honey, I promise after this I'll never try to get involved with your life." Ororo rolled her eyes. She didn't believe that for one moment and absently wondered if Jean believed it either. "It's just that I want you to be happy. Ro," she paused, "Remy's going to ask Emma to marry him. Soon from what Scott tells me. I just thought I'd pass the information on to you. Do with it what you will. I love you, Ro. Bye."

Ororo barely heard what Jean said after the "ask Emma to marry him" part. He couldn't marry her! She was a gold digging, conniving child hater! She couldn't watch him make this huge mistake even if he hated her or not. She had to talk to him.

She dialed Devin's number and much to her surprise he answered.

"Devin!"

"Hey cuzzo. What's going on?" the ever-cheerful teen chirped.

"Are you with Remy?" she asked getting to the point.

"Nah. I'm on my way back to the hotel though. Had to go home and get fly. I'm taking my lady out tonight."

Ororo smiled despite the urgency. "That's nice. Hey, do me a favor and tell Remy to call me. Give him my number, okay?"

"Will do. 'Bout to hop on the subway. I'll tell him though."

"Okay, thank you, Devin."

"Later."

The cab pulled next to the curb of her apartment building. She thanked the cab and paid him along with a hefty tip before he could try to keep her any longer with flirtatious chatter.

Frank, the doorman, was waiting with the door open ready to accept the resident with a smile. "Ms. Munroe, how was your trip."

Ororo shook her head. "I should have stayed home."

He laughed missing the fact that it was more than just a bad trip. He was used to tenants exaggerating their day. "Better luck next time," he said and closed the door.

Ororo stopped by her mailbox after fishing its key out of her purse. Junk mail and one large ivory envelope. She hopped on the elevator as she tore it open. An invitation. Hank and Trish's wedding invitation.

The elevator stopped and its doors slid open. She wasn't in a hurry to get into her apartment any longer. Nothing and no one was there for her. It was four for walls with a door. It wasn't a home. It might as well have been a coffin. She was dying slowly inside those walls.

Once inside she dropped her bags to the floor and stood there. The looked at the bare white walls and the stark furniture. The only treatments on the windows were cheap blinds that came with the apartment.

Silently she wondered what was the point. Day in, day out she went to a job that had no fulfillment. Her volunteer work was the only joy that seemed to enter her life.

At that moment she felt alone and unloved. The man she loved hated her guts…with good reason. She'd pushed him away one too many times. The one she tried to love had finally realized he deserved so much more.

A lone tear gathered and fell down her cheek staining the front of her dress. The old battered trunk standing in as a coffee table in the middle of her living room pulled her to it. She sniffled in an effort to keep from make a complete mess of herself as she sat in front of it on the floor and unsnapped the two hinges after clearing of the magazines. Taking a deep breath she opened it and the past came rushing back.

One by one she pulled out the items that she hadn't looked at in at least five years. An empty ring box. The diamond ring that was once presented to her was once again a tie tack. A sacred heirloom and a token of a mother's love. An unopened pregnancy test when Remy swore she was pregnant after their trip second trip to Paris. However it was a case of food poisoning much to his disappointment. Souvenirs and packs and packs of photos weighed the trunk down. Finally at the bottom was the item she was looking for.

Remy had given her his old brown duster during the first winter break back home from college. She'd missed him and he'd told her to wrap up in his coat whenever she needed to be in his arms. Right now she needed to be in his arms. She slipped on the coat and curled up on the couch. She wondered if he even remembered this coat. The coat that was hanging in her closet on the day her aunts' went to their apartment to collect her things. The coat she cried into for the first few years after their divorce.

* * *

Emma was afraid to tell Remy to slow down. He was driving well over the speed limit and a bit erratically. She could tell by his clenched jaw that he was pissed off and she wasn't sure if it was at her or not.

He hadn't said a word since getting into the car after talking to his ex-wife. Emma could only imagine what she'd told him. Whatever it was she'd tell him his ex was lying. She was an ex for a reason. He'd believe her over some woman he'd obviously left if her sorrowful reminiscing was any indication.

Remy had all but forgotten Emma was in the car. He just wanted to get back to New York and forget the whole encounter. He and Scott had gotten into a volley of heated words after the comparison of his hurt to that of Ororo's.

Scott told him that Ororo was humiliated publicly while it was just his ego that was bruised. But Scott didn't know the details of that night. The words that were whispered in the dark.

_Christmas Eve_

_They lay in the dark next to each other. After ten years of longing for each other's body they'd taken what they needed from each other. So many times, Remy was afraid he'd run out of condoms if they continued at their insatiable frenzied pace. There would be sore muscles and bruises in the days to come._

_He'd half expected for her to get up and leave when he felt her moving and the bed shifting. But he was pleasantly surprised to feel her legs wrap around his, her arm drape over his waist and her cheek rest against his chest._

"_I could stay like this forever," she said into the dark._

_He wrapped his arms around her waist making an effort to pull her closer. "And I'd let you," he answered placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. He felt her smile against his flesh._

_Ororo shifted her body straddling his waist as she sat atop him. He placed his hands on her waist and waited. He was pleasantly surprised when she leaned forward and kissed him deeply. Even though they'd touched, tasted, and filled each other there were no real kisses. But in that kiss there was more love than he'd ever remembered having in his whole life._

_She pulled away, "I've missed you so much."_

_He quickly turned her and took the dominant position she'd just had. "That night in your apartment…you said you didn't want to be with me. Did you mean it?"_

"_No."_

_Remy was relieved to know that the wall she held firmly around her had crumbled. She was finally being honest with him and with herself. He kissed her again then asked another question that she hadn't answered on those two encounters, "Do you still love me, Ro?"_

_He held his breath as he waited for her answer._

"_Yes."_

Remy's jaws clenched even tighter and his foot pressed the gas peddle just a bit harder with the thought of how she left the next morning. She was still going to marry that man after she'd told him he she still loved him, wanted to be with him…in his arms forever. Then the next morning she took it all away. He'd never forgive her for that.

* * *

End Note: Can you tell I'm trying to get this story done? Don't lose hope Sunshine! This is still a Remy/Ro story!


	22. Chapter 22

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-two

AN: Hello Everyone! I hope you all had an AmAzInG New Year! I did, "N'awlins" style! I'm in love with that city! It still needs some cleaning up and of course the crime is ridiculous but it's a special city. Anyway...thank you all for reading and reviewing. I hope you all are still enjoying the story. It's coming to an end soon. I promise!

* * *

Remy barely uttered a word to Emma the entire time on their way back to New York. He'd only asked her if she wanted anything from inside the gas station when they'd stopped to fill up the tank. He knew she didn't deserve the treatment he was giving her but he really didn't care.

As the couple got closer and closer to their door he finally felt the tension start to release from his body. He silently wondered how long he'd let that woman, Ororo, get to him.

With a sigh he unlocked the door and opened it letting Emma step inside. It was obvious no one was there. The suite was dark and there was no television blaring from any of the rooms. Etienne had gone with Ginny on her outing with Devin. He'd given her strict instructions not to take the boy anywhere other than for food and to a movie.

Remy knew his son well enough that he'd most likely try to ask the teens into making a visit to Ororo. Then again, Ororo had been in Boston. If Etienne had managed to persuade the young couple to taking a detour, he was sure Ororo wouldn't have made it back home yet.

As soon as the thought entered his mind he heard his son's laughter as the trio entered the suite. Remy turned in time to see his son's smile fall away upon realization he was there. It broke his heart to be on the receiving end of such contempt, especially from the person he loved most.

"How was the movie?" he asked trying to make conversation with the boy. Etienne's only response was a shrug of the shoulders and a b-line for the television.

"It was really funny," Ginny said still chuckling. "We laughed our heads off."

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd like it because it was a kids movie but it was pretty good," Devin said. "Oh, before I forget…Ororo wants you to call her."

Emma's movements slowed as she waited to hear how the conversation would play out. She realized that whatever it was his ex had told her had nothing to do with her…but still…this woman was a threat and she couldn't be too careful when it came to her.

Remy looked towards Etienne and was relieved to see the boy apparently hadn't heard Devin's words. He walked closer to the teen and lowered his voice, "What does she want?"

"Don't know," he shrugged. "She just told me to give you her number."

"I have it," Remy replied.

"You sure?" he asked. His words were loaded with an unspoken accusation.

"Oui, I'm sure."

Devin shook his head then followed Ginny who was now sitting next to Etienne on the couch. Ginny had told him about Remy and Ororo's epic love affair. But he could only think that it wasn't all she'd made it out to be…the two weren't still together. He knew his love for Ginny was real and there was nothing or no one that would be able to tear them apart.

Remy glided past Emma lost in his own thoughts. _What could Ororo possibly want to talk to me about? I made myself perfectly clear. _

Emma followed him into the room and silently closed the door. It wasn't her Remy was upset with but his ex. She obviously still held some kind of power over him and it was up to her to break it. Emma wanted to be the only person with that type of control. She'd have to manipulate the situation to her favor.

She cleared her throat to get his attention and smiled slightly when he turned his attention in her direction. "So…your ex?" she said. The few words were filled with inquiry as she intended. Less would be more in this situation.

"I'm sorry, chèrie, I should have told you it was her. But I honestly wasn't expecting her to be there."

"She's very beautiful," she said as she looked down and away hugging herself tightly. _Display insecurity. _Remy closed the distance between them and hugged her to him. She smiled.

Remy didn't know what Emma wanted him to say. Ororo was very beautiful; anyone with eyes could see that. "Yours is the only beauty I see."

"That's good to hear," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I must admit, I'm insanely jealous."

"No need. That's the past." He kissed her gently. "I'm looking forward to the future."

Emma smiled. His response was better than she'd expected. But she still had to be sure. "Maybe she has different plans. She wants to talk to you…maybe to reconcile."

"Non, that isn't what she wants. She wants to spend time with Etienne."

He was waiting for her response. Etienne was the key. She knew her answer could seal this deal. "Absolutely not!" she rebuffed with a little more emotion than necessary but she was trying to get her point across. "I was hoping that Etienne and I could start getting to know each other a little better."

Remy's smile was genuine. "Oh…mon petite, that would be magnificent."

* * *

Emma awoke tucked in Remy's arms. They'd spent the night making love. She knew she had him right where she wanted him. His touches were different…gentle, loving. His kisses were deeper and lingered a bit longer than just the day before.

"You're awake," he said.

"Mmm…yes. And why are you? It's still very early," she said as she closed her eyes once again and nuzzled closer to him.

"I've been thinking…"

She struggled to keep her eyes close and to remain relaxed. "About what, sweetheart?"

"About us…me, you, and Etienne."

"What about us?"

"About where all of this is leading."

"It's definitely leading somewhere. I'll follow as long as I'm with you, my love." _My love…_that was off the cuff. Remy ignored it.

"Good. When we get back home we'll start making more definite plans." He climbed out of bed and stretched his naked limbs.

Emma opened her eyes. "What kind of definite plans?"

Remy smiled at her naivety. "Why don't I fill you in over dinner tonight? In the mean time, mon petit, I have to run an errand today…maybe it will be a good time for you and Etienne to spend some time together. Go out for an ice cream or something…"

"That sounds wonderful, Mr. LeBeau," she said as she smiled demurely. She watched as he entered the adjoining bathroom and closed the door. When she heard the water of the shower she laughed. _It's about time I get to plan a wedding._ Visions of designer gowns lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

"Etienne?" Remy called softly from the entrance of his son's hotel room. He wasn't surprised to see his son still sleeping. He'd stayed up late with Ginny and Devin watching movies. "Etienne?" he called again as he walked further into the room closing the door behind him.

"Hmm?" the boy responded sleepily.

Remy sat next to him on the bed. He'd yet to open his eyes. Remy placed his hand on his son's small chest. He was still a little boy. His sweet little boy. Remy knew this to be true when Etienne enclosed his hand in his own and smiled dreamily. That smile had been few and far between.

"Etienne, son, what would you say if I told you I was going to get married?"

Etienne opened his eyes. "Married, Papa?"

"Oui, son…that you'd have a mama."

Etienne sat up. His smile gone. In its place was confusion. "I have a mother."

"I know you have a mother. But I'm talking about a _mama_ that will be with us every day. Son, I'm going to ask Ms. Emma to marry me," Remy smiled.

"Ms. Emma?"

"Oui, if she says yes, she will be my wife and your mama."

"I don't want her to be my mama. I don't like her."

"I like her, son."

"More than Ms. O?"

Remy didn't know how to answer him. He wasn't expecting the question so he did what he knew how to do…avoid it. "Ms. Emma is a good woman. She would be good for us."

Etienne was smarter than his father's attempt of diversion. "Ms. O would be good for us."

"Etienne, I've told you," Remy said as he stood. "Ms. O is not going to be your mama."

"But Papa, I heard you and Auntie Jean and Uncle Logan talking, she didn't marry the other man. Now you can marry her."

Remy sighed. Was it that simple? Yes, it would be if hurt and anger weren't a part of the equation. However, it was.

Years of hurt and anger had destroyed her. And years of rejected hope had destroyed him. Etienne was too young to understand that. He didn't understand that hate was just a breath, a word, a deed away from love.

Remy wasn't sure if he himself understood it but that's where he sat…just on the other side of that thin line. And he did hate her. He hated her for making him love her then not letting him have her. He hated her being the victim…his victim…the innocent bystander affected by his wicked deed. He hated her for not being able to forgive him. Most of all he hated himself because it was his fault.

"Etienne," he said as he walked toward the door, "get up and get dressed. Emma wants to take you out today."

Etienne scowled at the now closed door. His Papa couldn't marry that lady. If his Papa wouldn't listen then Ms. O would. He was sure of it.

* * *

Even though Ororo had to concentrate on the figures on her computer screen she kept a close eye on her cell phone. She checked it again for the hundredth time that day to make sure she hadn't missed any calls. It wasn't on the silent setting. The volume was turned all the way up. She sighed. Remy hadn't called.

Devin had assured her that he'd relayed the message and that Remy said he'd call. _Why hasn't he called? Because he hates you, Ro._

Ororo looked at the clock. Ten minutes until noon. Quitting time seemed so far away. She contemplated what she'd do once five o'clock had come. Maybe she'd go find Remy. Devin had told her which hotel they were staying in. If he refused to call her then she could track him down. Maybe that Emma woman would be there too and she could confront her about all she'd said in the kitchen.

Ororo sat back in her chair. Her brows furrowed. Of course Emma would deny it and Remy would believe her. _Of course he's going to believe her…he's going to propose to the woman. Why wouldn't he? But Etienne…_

She couldn't believe how easily he'd slipped into her heart. He could have been hers if she'd forgiven Remy…she just couldn't. Not that time had healed the wound of betrayal but the gift of that sweet boy had soothed the burn.

The abrupt ringing of the phone startled Ororo from her thoughts. It wasn't a transferred call but one from an outside line. Perhaps Remy had her work number she thought as she snatched up the phone.

"Hello, this is Ororo Munroe." She tried to sound as professional as possible but her heart raced in her chest as she waited to hear the voice of the caller.

"Are we still on for lunch?" the voice chirped.

Ororo was disappointed but hid it. It was her old assistant Katherine Pryde. She was an old assistant because her affair with Piotr had gotten serious quickly and both decided that it wasn't a good idea to be in such close distracting proximity of each other. So Ms. Pryde transferred to another department.

"Sure. I'll meet you down stairs."

Since they were no long boss and subordinate they'd became really good friends. Ororo was happy to have her. Besides Jean, Kitty…her nickname apparently, was one of her few friends. Most women were intimidated by Ororo's no nonsense standoffish nature and rarely took the time to know her. That was fine with her. From what she could tell the women were catty and vindictive towards each other.

Ororo made sure she had her phone, giving it another look as she dropped it into her purse and headed for the door.

* * *

"What about these, Etienne?" Emma asked holding up two polo shirts, one yellow, the other green.

"What about them?" he asked as snidely as he could manage.

Emma was at her wits end with the child. They'd been at if for at least thirty minutes and everything she picked up he rejected. Remy was right to suggest not to take him shopping but if she started letting him push her around he'd never stop. She was going to be the mistress of the house and as mistress she wasn't going to bow to the whims of a ten year old.

"Fine," Emma huffed. "You won't get anything."

"Fine. You won't get anything," Etienne mimicked in a whiney voice.

"Oh, I'm getting something and your father's paying for it," Emma said as she grabbed him by his shoulder and led him towards the shoe area of the department store.

"You. Sit," she said as she walked to the opposite area and began pointing out shoes to the eager salesmen.

Etienne watched her with a scowl before a smile crept to his lips. Now was his chance to find Ms. O.

* * *

EndNote: Just Curious! He's his father's son. Of course he's going to take action. Good forsight! Or am I being predictable? Hmmm...


	23. Chapter 23

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-three

AN: Another shorty. Mostly filler. The fireworks will be in the next chapter. Also, review responses are on my profile page. Remember, no Beta. Please point out glaring mistakes. I'd greatly appreciate it!

* * *

The hotdog cart was the only option close by that was still open and there was a line to prove it. Rolling blackouts had shut down parts of the city at varying times during the summer, now was the Financial Districts time. Which also meant there would be no more business for the day.

Ororo ate her hotdog as she listened to Kitty's side of her conversation with Piotr. Even though her love life was in shambles she relished in the happiness of her friends' blossoming love. She could relate to how they felt…when the other consumed their thoughts throughout the day, the anticipation of an afternoon rendez vous, the way their hearts fluttered in their chest at the first glimpse of the other.

She wasn't envious. Everyone should experience explicit love at least once in their life. She had. Maybe one day she would again…maybe.

Kitty's voice faded into the white noise of the city as Ororo drifted into her own thoughts. Remy still hadn't called. She was going to have to find him and make him listen. He was going to fight her and she was ready for it. They'd ruined their chances but there was no reason for her to let him ruin Etienne's childhood.

Ororo subconsciously shook her head as she remembered…remembered things that Remy had apparently forgotten. He'd told her that she'd changed but he'd done his share of changing too. He couldn't see that he and his son were the same. They both had mother's that left them…different reasons but same result. And they both had father's that refused to see the dangers they'd invited into their homes. _What's with the LeBeau men and Emma's?_

"Penny for your thoughts," Kitty said as she smiled at Ororo's look of wonderment.

"Nothing really. Just trying to figure out men's thought process."

"Oh, honey, you know as well as I do that there isn't one." Ororo looked at Kitty as she contemplated her words. Could it be that Remy honestly hadn't thought about it? "They're too busy thinking of themselves and how to get us out of our clothes…"

Kitty went on about her theory however Ororo focused on her initial reason. _Remy was being selfish. Why is he so upset because I want to see Etienne?_

Kitty ended her diatribe with an addendum, "Piotr isn't that way, of course. He's perfect."

"Of course he is," Ororo responded with a smile. "What did he want…besides the obvious?" Her smile was a bit slyer accenting her innuendo as she ended her question.

"Powers out. No more work for us today."

"I figured."

"You want to do something? Go shopping maybe?" Kitty asked.

"No. I have something I have to do."

* * *

Remy stared through the glass at the rows and rows of diamonds. Some solitaire. Some cluster. Some white. Some yellow. All were pretty and expensive. Picking one wasn't an issue. A ring was a ring. So why was he having such a hard time?

"Sir, is there any you'd like for me to take out?" the salesman behind the counter asked. He'd offered Remy assistance twice in the last ten minutes but had been dismissed each time. "Perhaps you'd like to see something from our catalog."

Remy looked up at the young man with deep contemplation written on his face. "Are you married, Warren?" he asked after looking at his name tag.

"No sir, I'm not."

Remy looked back down on at the rings and was silent for a moment before continuing his inquisition. "Is there someone you'd like to marry?"

The young man bristled a bit. He wasn't used to people inquiring about him. His employer was a high end seller. Most of their clients were self absorbed and could care less about those serving them.

"Well," he answered hesitantly, "I've been dating my girlfriend since sophomore year of college. This is my last semester. Candy…my girlfriend, has another year but I hope one day to be able to marry her. You know…when I get on my feet."

Remy leaned against the counter as he listened. He recalled how easy everything had been for him. He didn't have to "get on his feet" so to speak. He had every material possession he could possibly want for and a woman he loved yet he still managed to mess it all up.

"So you love her?" It was more of a statement than a question but Warren nodded anyway. "What do you love about her?"

"Well, sir," he smiled really big showing deep dimples, "it probably isn't appropriate for me to be speaking to you about my personal life."

Remy smiled back. He knew it wouldn't take much prodding to have him continue. "Go ahead. I'd like to know."

"Well, she's a great person. She's supported me through tough times. And this may sound cliché, but I love everything about her, her laugh, the way she pushes the hair out of her face when it gets in the way… And I even love the things she does that annoy me. Like when she kicks the covers off of me at night because she's hot. I don't know, man...just everything." Warren realized his lax tongue. "I'm sorry. I meant "sir."

Remy dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand as he thought about his words. He couldn't even recall ever hearing Emma laugh. Sure she'd titter during conversation but that was out of politeness. Remy's brows furrowed. He didn't recall any of her mannerisms. There was nothing special or not so special that she did that he'd ever noticed. Nothing about her annoyed him or made him feel any way or another.

Remy sighed. Maybe he was being too hasty in his decision to marry her. _Etienne needs a mother…but Etienne doesn't like her. I need a companion…but I don't love her._ Another sigh.

Remy visibly broke away from his thoughts. "Which one of these rings would you pick for her, mon ami?"

"Actually," the young man smiled as he moved his way to another display case. "She always says how much she likes this one," he said as he pointed to a brilliant antique inspired platinum ring. Diamonds lined the perimeter of the ring and a large diamond sat centered atop a bed of smaller diamond mounts.

"Oui, it is magnificent."

"It's almost eight grand. One day I'll get it for her," Warren said optimistically.

Remy nodded. "Look, I have to get going but I think I'll take that one."

"Really? The one I just pointed out?"

"You don't mind, do you?"

"No, not at all. It will be a long time before I can afford it."

Warren took the ring out of the case. "Sir, you may take it as it is and bring your bride back here to have it properly sized," he said as he worked finding a case and the ring's paperwork.

Remy asked questions as he watched the Warren fill out the appropriate certificates. "How long have you worked here? Is this what you plan to do? How long have you been studying literature?" Warren answered each question with enthusiasm. He was looking forward to starting his life with Candy. The sooner he finished school the sooner that could happen.

The transaction took only a few minutes to finalize with payment. Afterwards Remy took the ring out of the bag and flipped the box open. "Is your manager here?"

Warren looked confused and a bit worried. "Yes he is, sir. Is anything the matter?"

"Non. I'd just like to speak with him briefly."

"Just a minute, sir." Warren opened an adjacent door and spoke quickly inside. In another moment an older man dressed in a fine suit emerged. He'd obviously been working if the roll of his sleeves were an indicator.

"Can I help you?" the older man asked.

"Yes, sir," Remy said. "Warren here has been an extreme help and I'd like for him to have this." Remy laid the ring box along with its receipt on the counter. "I won't take no for an answer. Good luck to you and your fille, Warren."

Warren's eyes bugged out in shock as he looked at the generous stranger. "Sir, I can't."

"Sure you can, mon ami. Here's my card," Remy said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out his business card. "When you're done with school, give me a call. I know a lot of people looking for honest hard workers like you," he said as he turned and walked out of the exit.

* * *

The crowd of people walking the streets didn't seem to notice the ten year old boy briskly walking down the street. He looked like he had somewhere important to be just as everyone else did.

He didn't know how far away it was but he had a hundred dollars courtesy of Aunty Jean for his birthday and an address. It was luck that he had found the package tucked away in a closet of a spare bedroom while hiding from Jake during an intense game of hide and seek. It was addressed to him from Ms. O.

He'd left the packaged undisturbed and waited for his father to give it to him but he never did. That fact only added to Etienne's rebellion towards his father. Ms. O had sent something to him and his father hadn't even given it to him!

He'd sneak into the room every day and shake it and wondered what wonderful gift could be inside. Her handwriting was the prettiest he'd ever seen and he memorized the curvy script of his name…along with her address.

The night before their trip to New York he wrote it down on a piece of paper to make sure it was right in case Remy didn't know where she lived. That morning after talking to his father he'd made up his mind that he'd find and ask her to be his mama.

Etienne had traveled with his father often enough to know that a taxi could take him wherever he wanted to go. He walked another half a block to make sure that Emma wouldn't be able to find him.

A row of taxis sat idling in front of a large hotel waiting for fares to exit the building. He picked one with the nicest looking driver and slid into the back seat.

"Aren't you a little young to be out by yourself?" the man said in a thick Indian accent.

"I guess," Etienne said.

"Do you have any money?" the driver asked skeptically. Etienne nodded. "Where is it you need to go?"

"To my mama's," Etienne said. He didn't feel like he was lying. It was the truth in his mind.

"What is the address?" Etienne handed him the piece of paper. The driver nodded then pulled out into traffic.

It took twenty minutes before the driver stopped but that was because of the heavy traffic. They actually hadn't gone very far.

"This is it," the driver said as he pulled as far out of traffic as he could. "Is this the right place?" he asked as he turned his head to look at the little boy staring big eyed through the glass window.

"I think so…"

"You think so? You don't know?"

"Yes, this is it," Etienne quickly corrected as he dug into his pocket to give the driver the crisp folded hundred dollar bill.

The driver took it and looked at Etienne questioningly before turning and making change. Once he gave Etienne his proper change he was pleasantly surprised when he was given a twenty dollar tip and a thank you. Etienne knew his father always tipped at least twenty dollars.

Etienne opened the door and slid out. The driver watched him as he approached the doorman.

"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to see Ms. Ororo Munroe."

The doorman looked down at the boy. "She's not here yet. Does she know you're coming?"

"No, but I'll wait if that's okay."

The doorman nodded and opened the door for the boy. Once he was safely inside the driver pulled away.

* * *

"I think I'll wear these out. They match this outfit perfectly," Emma said as she admired herself and her new shoes in the full length mirror.

"Thank you, Mrs. LeBeau," the saleswoman said as she handed Emma back Remy's credit card. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, this will be all for today," she said as she tried to sort the bags of shoes and handbags but gave up quickly. "Wait, there is something else. Can you have these shoes delivered to my hotel room? These are just too many for me to carry around," she said as she handed the woman the hotel concierge's card.

Emma turned and scanned the sitting area of the shoe department while absently listening to the saleswoman make arrangements to have her merchandise delivered. _Where is he?_

"Can you do me another big favor?" Emma asked as soon as the saleswoman placed the phone back on the receiver.

"Anything, Mrs. LeBeau."

"I came in with a little boy. He likes to hide. Could you have someone to locate him for me?"

The saleswoman immediately started to panic. "Oh my god! A lost child. I have to page a Code Adam."

"No, no…that won't be necessary. I'm sure he's just hiding."

"Mrs. LeBeau, we take lost children very serious. If he's just hiding then we can locate him quickly. How old is he and what does he have on?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Emma huffed. "I don't know. He's eight or nine. I can't really remember what he's wearing. Jeans. I don't know."

The saleswoman looked at her bemused by her nonchalant attitude. The child obviously wasn't hers. However she picked up the phone and began the page announcing to the other associates the little details she was given.

"Ma'am, I'm sure we'll find him," she said as she too began her search.

Emma plopped down on the chair. _Such a little brat._

_

* * *

_

_End Note: Gosh, this feels choppy but I have four different ppl in four different places. Aaargh._


	24. Chapter 24

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-four

AN: I Know! I suck. Thanks for waiting though. I wish I had a valid excuse for the delay other than tying up the ending is really hard. lol

With that said! THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING AND BEING PATIENT! No Beta!

* * *

"Mrs. LeBeau, it's been twenty minutes. We have to call the authorities."

"Can't you do another sweep of the store? I'm sure he's just hiding." Fear had crept into Emma's voice. Not fear for Etienne, fear for her self. There was no way Remy could or would forgive her for losing his pain in the ass son.

"Ma'am, it's store policy that we involve the police after fifteen minutes," the security manager said as he turned and walked a few feet towards a store security guard pulling his cellphone out as he went.

"Oh, god…" Emma breathed.

* * *

Remy dropped into the plush cushions of the hotel suite's couch. He was tired. After leaving the jewelry store, he'd walked with no particular destination in mind. And like his feet, he let his mind wander.

He'd even found himself standing outside of the entrance of the strip club he'd visited the last time he was in New York. Mystique's photo was still prominently displayed beckoning passing men to come inside. However, the hair was different…in place of the bleached extensions was a raspberry bob wig…gone were the blue contacts, her eyes were grey. She was another man's fantasy now.

Remy wasn't disappointed. Sleeping with her only reaffirmed the fact that he still wanted Ororo. The fact that he'd sought her out also confirmed there was no way he was ready to marry Emma.

He'd left the hotel room with all intention on purchasing an engagement ring for Emma. The moment he stepped foot in the store he knew it felt all wrong…so generic, like their relationship…so contrived.

Not like his relationship with Ororo. With Ororo he never knew what was going to happen next. As much as he hated that fact he also loved it. He'd proposed to her on a whim…a last ditch effort to keep her parents from tearing them apart. Most things he'd done on a whim he'd regretted but not that… If anything, he wish he could relive that rainy, tumultuous night over and over again. Even the bad parts…

A brief firm knock at the hotel door jarred Remy from his thoughts. He was grateful for the interruption. He didn't want to go back and revisit the past. He'd dwell there forever if he let himself.

A few long strides to the door revealed the object of his thoughts. She was the last person he expected to see standing there. _Speak of the devil… _

"Ro…" he breathed as he recovered from his stunned silence. "What are you doing here?"

Ororo smiled softly. She knew she'd caught him off guard. Nevertheless she was pleased that it was shock that greeted her instead of his usual scorn. "Are you alone?" she asked as she looked past him and into the empty suite.

_Ah…she's here for Devin or…_ "Thought you'd drop in to see Etienne, even though I asked that you not? Too bad. He's out with Emma," he said after replacing his shocked expression with an emotionless mask.

Ororo's smile fell. "Actually, I came to speak with you about just that. Can I come in?"

He wanted to say no but stepped aside and invited her in with a gesture of his hand. He knew curiosity would kill him if he sent her away without hearing her out. Once she was inside he closed the door softly behind her and waited as she glanced around the room.

He took that moment to take in her appearance. She didn't disappoint him; she never did. His fingers twitched to muss her stiffly combed cropped hair. He did like her hair better in its longer state. However, the short cut was something new that he wanted to experience. He wondered if she'd let him. He wanted to touch her and it took all his effort to keep from walking up to her and doing just that.

"Shopping?" she asked as she nodded towards the bags.

Remy hadn't even noticed the bags when he'd first entered. "Oui…Emma took Etienne out for the afternoon. She must have picked him up a few things."

Ororo hummed as she faced him fully, "He must really like women's shoes…"

Remy glanced at the translucent bags. Shoe boxes indeed. Another reminder of the type of woman Emma was…and of the one woman she wasn't. He gritted his teeth in agitation. "What do you want?" he asked a bit harsher than he intended.

"I want to talk to you about Emma…"

"What about her?"

"Jean told me that you were thinking of proposing to her." She let the statement hang between him and waited for him to respond.

"Oui…" he drawled wondering just where she was going to take the conversation. She didn't need to know that he couldn't even bring himself to buy a ring.

_He's not going to make this easy for me. _"I think that would be a mistake."

_That's just what I was thinking too. _"Why would that be, chèrie?" Something akin to hope began to creep into the corners of his mind before mentally scolding him self for letting it do so.

Ororo exhaled in preparation to say what was on her mind. "Because of the things she said to me at Jean's baby shower…in the kitchen."

"And what was that?" he said as he walked past her and grabbed one of the complimentary bottles of water off the coffee table and sat in one of the two accent chairs framing the living area.

Ororo followed and sat in his chair's mate, angling her body towards his. "Well, in brief she said that she…"

Ororo's words were cut short by the ringing of Remy's cellphone. He welcomed the interruption. He really didn't want to hear what she was going to say. He already knew what ever it could be wasn't going to be good. And if Ororo was telling him, he was sure the words were the truth. And another reason to believe marrying Emma would be an enormous mistake.

Remy pulled the phone from the clip on the waistband of his jeans. "One moment, chérie." He pressed the screen to answer only after Ororo nodded. "Remy LeBeau," he said as he stared off across the room. "Hello, Emma." His eyes darted to Ororo when she cleared her throat. "What do you mean they can't find him?"

Ororo watched and listened as Remy stood and began moving towards the door. "Did you tell them that he likes to hide?"

Ororo stood too. This was about Etienne. _Oh no. He's lost._

"Which store?" his hand was already on the door. "I'll be right down there."

"I'm coming with you," Ororo said as she moved towards the open door.

"Non, that won't be necessary. I'm sure he's just hiding," he said, reassuring him self more than reassuring her.

"Oh…I'm sure he is but…"

"We'll continue this later. I'll call you."

"Absolutely not. If you don't let me come with you, I'll follow."

Remy gently smiled at the look of concern on Ororo's face. He knew that she would have the same amount of worry if it were any child but the fact that it was Etienne melted the hurt he felt just a bit more. She'd hurt him badly and all he could do to get back at her was deny her access to Etienne when she'd asked. But it was obvious that she really did care about his son. He couldn't deny his son the love that he wished he had. "Okay, chère…but I'm sure he's just hiding."

* * *

The silence in the cab was palpable. Remy watch Ororo as she fretted. She really was upset. She hadn't noticed the glances the driver was giving her but he did and it irked him beyond belief. He'd never gotten used to the way strange men stared at her. If he let himself think of what could be going through their minds while looking at her he was sure he'd spend the rest of his life in jail.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me, chérie?"

"Hmm?" Ororo asked distractedly before realizing he was back to their previous conversation. "Oh, Emma…" she took a breath. "I don't think now is appropriate," she said as the store came into her sights.

"Now is fine."

Ororo wasn't so sure. If Etienne were actually missing, the conversation she had with the other woman as well as the stack of shoes in the hotel room would indicate it was most likely due to negligence. Remy would kill her. "It can wait." The car halted and Ororo was out of the cab before Remy could protest any farther.

* * *

The head of security left Emma in a tiny waiting area consisting of only two chairs and a plant that had seen better wetter days. It hadn't been an hour since Etienne had gone missing but it seemed like time had stopped then sped up now that Remy was on his way. She tried sitting but knowing he was on his way wouldn't let her sit still. She could only hope that the review of the tape would find the little twerp hiding in a bin or a tent.

Emma almost jumped out of her skin when the door to the secured office swung open. The head security officer stepped through the door with a grim look on his face. "He's not in the building, Mrs. LeBeau. The camera shows the child you entered with leaving shortly after your arrival…about an hour and a half before he his absence was noticed."

_Oh shit._ Remy's muffled voice could be heard on the other side of the door. _Fuck me!_ "Thank you so much," Emma spoke quickly. "If you don't mind I'll relay this information to my husband. He'll take the news better from me." The door opened and Remy appeared just as she'd finished her sentence. "I'd like a moment alone with Mr. LeBeau if you don't mind," doing her best to block the two men with her tiny frame.

Thankfully for Emma, Remy barely registered the presence of the man that exited through the adjoining door. His focus was squarely on Emma. He hadn't been unnerved until the lady at the front began apologizing profusely and escorted him through a catacomb of halls to what was obviously an employees' only area.

"What the hell is going on, Emma? Where is Etienne?" Remy's voice was tight, straining with a mighty effort for control however a blossoming storm brewed in his dark eyes. Emma knew she'd have to calm it, less it rain down on her.

"Remy, I promise I only turned my back for a second…then he was gone. I thought he was hiding in the clothes. You know how he loves to hide, sweetheart. Then I couldn't find him..." Emma's rapid, fear laced words poured out quickly along with fat tears. "I don't know why he'd hide from me. He hates me, Remy. He just hates me and I tried so hard…"

Remy was ever a sucker for a woman that could shed a few tears. When Emma threw herself into his arms he didn't hesitate to embrace her and speak soothing words. "It's okay," he cooed. "I'm sure he's fine. We'll find him." he said then shushed her sobs.

Ororo stood in the doorway watching the scene as it played out. Remy's broad back blocked her view of Emma. She couldn't decide if Emma was really upset or staging a Tony award winning performance. Either way she was sure she wanted to pull Emma's arms off and beat her with them. If Etienne hated her, Ororo was sure it was for a good reason.

"But it's all my fault…I only looked away for a minute then he was gone," Emma choked out.

"It's okay, ma petite…I'm sure he's still hiding in the building," Remy said as he stepped back to look into Emma's watery doe eyes as she shook her head rebuking his statement.

"He left the building. Remy, I'm so sorry. You trusted me with your son and I lost him," she said as tears began streaming anew. Fortunately for her the security manager stepped back into the room. She didn't have any more real tears left in her.

"Mr. LeBeau, I just want to inform you that an Amber Alert has been issued and the NYPD is on the lookout. In the mean time I'd like for you to speak with Officer Donovan. The more information we can get the sooner we can find him."

At that moment a tall lanky police officer stepped through the same door the manager had just entered through. "Afternoon, Mr. LeBeau. I'm Officer Donovan," he said as he extended his hand. The two men shook hands around Emma's willowy body. "There are just a few questions I'd like for you to answer…"

"Anything," Remy said as he gently moved Emma away so he could fully engage the officer. "Chére," he said gently as he addressed her. "Please stop your tears. We'll find him."

That's when she first caught sight of Ororo's cold blue eyes staring through her. Emma's façade cracked briefly by the sight of the woman but she quickly recovered. _What the hell is she doing here? _

It was as if Ororo had read her mind when she smiled diminutively and darted her eyes towards Remy then back. Emma had to keep herself from scowling at the woman. She silently berated herself for giving this woman the ammunition to kill everything she'd worked so hard for. However, by Remy's understanding reaction his ex had obviously not spilled the beans. She obviously had to be after something. Perhaps negotiations could be made in exchange for her silence.

The officer interrupted the silent standoff. "What is the child's mental state?"

"Que?"

The confused expression Remy wore more so than his foreign word made it clear to the officer that he should rephrase the questions. "Was the child upset about anything? Did anything distressing happen prior to him leaving the building?"

"No," Emma promptly stated facing the officer fully. "We couldn't find any clothes that he liked. That's it…nothing else."

Donovan looked up from his notepad at the woman. He'd viewed the tape and had clearly seen there was some sort of scolding back and forth. "Are you sure?"

"This morning…" Remy said softly. "This morning he was upset with me. That's nothing new. He's been upset with me since Christmas… Christmas morning to be exact."

"Christmas?" Donovan asked then continued once Remy nodded. "Did he ever disappear for any significant amounts of time before today?" Remy shook his head. "So this morning was more upsetting than usual? May I ask why?"

Remy sighed. He really didn't want to say why. He still had a lot of thinking to do but he also had to get his son back. "I told him that I was going to ask Emma to marry me once we returned to New Orleans."

"Oh, Remy…" Emma said letting a little hint of happiness show through. But she knew this wasn't the time.

"I see," Donovan said as he scribbled in his pad. "And this upset him?"

"Oui…quite a bit."

"Why?"

"He had other ideas. Someone different in mind," Remy answered honestly.

"Who? And would this be a person he'd call or go to if he were upset?"

Remy's brows furrowed as he turned and looked at Ororo. "Have you spoken to Etienne?"

All eyes turned towards Ororo and she suddenly felt uncomfortable. "No, I would have told you if I had."

"Who is she?" Donovan asked.

"My wife," Remy said then corrected his words when the officer repeated them with understandable confusion, "Ex-wife…my ex-wife."

"Ma'am, is it a possibility that the child would go looking for you?"

"I don't think so," Ororo answered.

"Like hell he wouldn't. He's been asking to see her since we arrived in the city."

"Does he know where she lives?" Donovan asked as he began putting his notepad away. This could be over soon. With any luck he could get home to his own kids at a decent hour today.

"Non, I don't think so but that doesn't mean he wouldn't try," Remy said as he looked back at Ororo. He was pleased to see that she was pulling her cellphone from her purse. She was going to find his son.

"There's no way he'd be able to find her in this city," Emma began. "He'd have to have her address or some general knowledge of…"

"Shush," Remy said as he listened to Ororo as she spoke into her phone.

"Hello, Frank? This is Ororo," she said to the doorman and quickly skipped over responding to his pleasantries. "Look Frank, is a little boy waiting for me?"

Remy's dark eyes bore into hers as he held his breath and waited for her to speak again…then he could breathe. She smiled.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to him if you don't mind," Ororo said as she watched relief wash over Remy's face. A few seconds lapsed then she spoke again. "Hello, sweetheart."


	25. Chapter 25

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-five

A/N: I know! It's been so long! This chapter kicked my butt. I'm planning on one more chapter and an epilogue. Yay! Then it will be over with these two. Cathy! I got your message today while I was working on this chapter. Thanks to everyone that checked on me. Even though this chapter was killing me I'm still alive and kicking!

P. S. No BETA!

* * *

"You really scared us, sweetheart. We thought you were lost," Ororo said into her phone.

Remy smiled a bit when Ororo laughed at something his son had said. She was smiling. Etienne had put that brilliant smile of hers there. He hadn't seen it for so long. He felt like such a tool for trying to deny them both such a simple request.

"Mr. LeBeau, where does your ex-wife live? I'll send a unit in the area over to retrieve him."

"Is that necessary? She lives only a few miles away in the Financial District."

"I have to file a report. I'll need to speak to him at the precinct. It would be easier and less time consuming to have a unit bring the child to the station and we meet them there," Donovan explained.

Remy nodded. "Oui, I see."

While Donovan spoke he'd pulled out his cellphone and began to dial. Remy realized then he actually didn't have an option in the matter. Protocol had to be followed.

Emma stood motionless watching and listening. Her presence had shrunk to barely noticeable. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. She watched Remy as he spoke to the detective. Her eyes followed his movements as he turned and placed his hand gently on Ororo's hip before leaning in and speaking into her unoccupied ear. Ororo smiled softly to him and nodded in response.

The thought to sneak out of the room entered Emma's mind. She could go back to the hotel room, pack her things and get the hell out of there. She'd lost. Just as she was submitting to defeat Remy turned to her.

"Emma, I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I know Etienne can be a handful."

"No," she said shaking her head. "It's fine. I'm just a little shook up but…" Emma's words were cut short and she'd lost Remy's attention as soon as Ororo put her phone away and began to speak.

"The police have already arrived," Ororo said. "Etienne's fine…a little concerned," she drawled out with a small smirk addressing Remy, "with how much trouble he's in."

"Did you tell him a lot?" Remy replied.

"No, but I did tell him that he shouldn't have run off like that and that you'd talk to him about it later." Ororo didn't want to overstep her boundary when it came to Remy and his son. She didn't know how the situation would change after this incident. This, on top of all the other things that had been said and done between them…Remy could blame her and never let her see Etienne again.

"A patrol car is waiting out front," Donovan said. "I'll meet you at the station."

Remy gestured for Ororo to lead the way then followed. On his heels was Donovan. Emma paused for a moment and took a deep breath. So far, so good. All she had to do was get through the next couple of hours. Once they were back in New Orleans this whole ordeal would be history.

"Are you coming, chérie?"

Remy's voice startled her slightly but she hid it well. "Yes, I was just taking a moment, sweetheart. This has all been so overwhelming," she said as she walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. She was relieved when he returned the gesture.

Remy watched the backs of Ororo and Donovan over the top of Emma's head as they made their way up the hallway. Today had been too much. It had really put things in perspective. The important things, the things and people that really mattered.

"I know. We do have some things to take care of. Come."

* * *

The ride to the police station was relatively quiet. Ororo sat up front in the passenger's side seat and tried to ignore Remy and Emma's murmured words coming from the backseat. She could only imagine what he was saying to her. She was sure he was telling her everything was fine.

Ororo didn't know what happened at the store but she was sure it was Emma's fault. After hearing Emma's contempt for the child, she wouldn't put anything past her. Telling Remy about her and Emma's conversation in Jean's kitchen would be the right thing to do but not now…not today. Perhaps time and a child had calmed Remy's explosive tendencies but Ororo wasn't willing to take that chance. She didn't like Emma but she wouldn't wish Remy's temper on anyone.

"I'll pull over and let you all out," the policeman said as he maneuvered the car as close to the curb as he could. "I'm glad everything worked out."

"Us too," Remy said from the backseat.

"Will you be needing a ride home?" the policemen asked. However, the question was solely directed at Ororo. Remy saw the twinkle in the man's eye and the barely there smile he was giving her.

"No," Remy said with a little more than aggression than he'd intended. So much so the policeman's eyes darted up to the rearview mirror only to receive a glare that spoke volumes. _Hands off! _ There was a silent standoff between the two men that only lasted a few seconds before Remy spoke again, this time the hate tingeing his words was almost gone. Almost. "I'll make sure everyone gets home safely. Thank you for your time, officer."

Ororo smiled and exited the car as quickly as possible. She didn't want to read too much into Remy's actions. Perhaps it was just a residual reaction from their past relationship. Either way, Remy's jealously and the officer's advances were of no concern to her. Etienne's safety was the only thing that really mattered at that moment.

She didn't bother to wait for Remy to slide out of the backseat behind Emma. She went through the building entrance as soon as she spotted Detective Donovan holding the entry door open.

"He's over there," Donovan said as soon as she was inside.

She spied Etienne through the glass of a closed office door. Her heart reached out to him. He looked so morose and melancholy as he nibbled on the plain potato chips he'd been given. She walked over and tapped on the glass as she opened the door. In a split second his face changed from sadness to joy.

"Ms. O!" he exclaimed jumping from his seat. He crossed the room faster than she'd expected. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head just beneath her breast. "I just wanted to see you. I hope Papa's not too mad at me."

"He's not mad but he's very upset," Remy said from the entry. "Ro, if you don't mind I need to speak to my son."

Ororo nodded then looked down into Etienne's watery dark eyes, "Everything will be fine. I'll be just outside the door. Okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Etienne said then released her. He let out a sigh full of heavy burden then turned to his father. "I'm sorry, Papa."

Remy grazed Ororo's arm as she tried to make her exit. "Thank you again," he said barely above a whisper. Her only response was a smile.

As soon as Ororo stepped through the door Remy closed the door behind her. She wasn't worried about Etienne but he did deserve a good scolding as well as some sort of punishment.

Emma sat in a row of chairs just outside the door. Ororo's focus immediately went to her. Etienne wasn't the only one in need of a good scolding.

Ororo stood in front of Emma. Her arms folded over her chest. However she was surprised when Emma began to speak. "This is all your fault, you know…"

Ororo was taken aback by this woman's words. So much so, she was at a loss for her own.

Emma stood facing Ororo down, "The kid was trying to get to you. Or maybe you got the kid to do it…you want Remy back and you tricked his son into running off so you could swoop in and save the day."

Ororo's shock quickly transformed into indignation and she found her voice. "Are you insane?" Ororo knew she had nothing to defend; she wasn't guilty of anything. "Or perhaps…" she said slowly, "He was just trying to get away from you. You said that you didn't like the child."

"I never said that!"

This woman was worse than Ororo could have ever imagined. She'd blatantly lied without hesitation to her face. She wasn't new to the art of deception. "I know the truth and so do you. And soon…so will Remy."

"Oh, so you're going to tell on me?" Emma asked sarcastically. "What is this? Elementary school?"

"Sweetie, I haven't played school games in a long time. Besides, I'm not the child you need to worry about. When Etienne tells Remy what really happened…I'd run if I were you."

Emma snorted in disbelief. Remy was protective of his son but he wouldn't dare raise his voice at her in anger let alone anything else. "I don't have to listen to this. I'm leaving…with my fiancé," Emma said with a condescending smile gracing her lips. She attempted to turn away but was surprised by Ororo's grasp on her upper arm holding her firmly in place. "Are you crazy? This is assault. We're in a police station…I can have you arrested!"

"I haven't assaulted you…yet."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm promising you. And don't think for a second that I don't keep my promises."

Emma wasn't a stranger to verbal sparing. She'd been in her share of altercations with other women over various things…from work related grievances to…yes, men but this time was the first time she'd felt threatened. There was something about the intensity of Ororo's stare and the firm set of her lips. This woman was serious. Emma snatched her arm away and found a grain of courage she knew she didn't have. "Touch me and I'll have you arrested."

Ororo gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to yank Emma's glossy locks when she turned her back. Instead she watched Emma knock quickly on the glass then barge into the room with Etienne and Remy shutting the door behind her.

She couldn't hear what was being said through the soundproof glass but Ororo knew Emma was laying it on thick. Etienne was enveloped in a grizzly bear hug, which he tried to resist. But it was Remy that drew Ororo's attention. She couldn't read him. She couldn't tell if he was annoyed by the intrusion or welcomed it. He was blank.

Ororo felt like an idiot standing there watching them. The thought entered her head that she should leave then thought better of it. She was there for Etienne. It was her he'd been looking for. She wouldn't leave him after all the trouble he'd gone through. That thought it self quelled the anger Emma had managed to brew.

Ororo smiled when the door opened and Etienne was once again wrapped around her waist. Anger at that woman would have to wait until later. "Ms. O," he said as if he didn't already have her undivided attention, "I'm sorry that I scared you. And I know I shouldn't have left the store."

"Even though I know you're a very smart little boy Etienne but you could have been lost. New York is a very big city," Ororo said.

"I know. Papa said that too but I just wanted to see you."

"Well, I really wanted to see you too, Etienne. However, we have to talk to your father first. Like it or not, we have to take in consideration his concerns," Ororo said as gently as possible.

"Papa?" Etienne called as he faced his father. "Is it okay if I spend some time with Ms. O. I'd really like to talk to her about something." His eyes darted over to Emma then back. No one standing in the small group missed the subtle motion.

Remy pursed his lips and looked at Ororo with what seemed to be an embarrassed look on his face. "Oui…if it's all right with her, it's all right with me."

"Is it? Is it, Ms. O?" Etienne asked unable to hold in his enthusiasm.

"I think that would be wonderful, sweetheart."

"Yay!" Etienne squealed. "I have something to give to you!" He let her go long enough to run to his father and hug him then was back at her side, tugging her hand as he tried to take her to the exit.

Ororo glanced behind her at a demurely smiling Remy and a grim Emma. The couple was stopped briefly by Officer Donovan giving Remy a thin manila envelope. He waved them off and went in another direction. That was that. A mischievous little boy had been found…an open and shut case.

"Let's wait for your father," Ororo said once they reached the sidewalk.

"Ms. O, I'd really like to speak to you alone."

"You will, sweetheart. We just need to make a plan so there will be no confusion. Okay?" Ororo gave Etienne a reassuring smile when he nodded in agreement.

Remy held the door open for Emma. Ororo visualized Emma tripping and falling down the steps and breaking something…anything. She really didn't like that woman.

Ororo was the first to speak once they reached the bottom. "Would you like for Etienne to go back to your hotel first?" she asked.

"Non, you two can have some alone time together. There's something I need to do. Can you bring him to the room in an hour? I still need to talk to him. I don't want him to think what he did is acceptable."

Ororo smiled. She really did love to see Remy in his daddy role. "Sure."

"Then we'll go from there," he finished.

"All right. We'll get some food. I'm sure he hasn't eaten anything but the chips while he was waiting."

Remy nodded quickly then bent to address his son. "Be good."

"Yes, Papa."

* * *

Etienne hadn't let go or Ororo's hand for longer than a few seconds on the way to the dinner. The only reason he'd finally released her was so he could look at his menu. Even so, he chose to sit next to her on the bench seating instead of across as the waitress initially directed. He wanted to be as close to her as possible.

"I'll have chocolate cake," Etienne said as he looked at the menu.

"Absolutely not," Ororo said. "You need something healthy and filling. Cake is neither."

Etienne grinned. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Did you now? Then why'd you say cake when you knew I'd say no?"

"Because…" Etienne said as he inched closer to her on the bench, "That's what mamas do."

His words caught Ororo off guard. He could tell but he was pleased when she smiled. "Yes, I guess they do."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Papa's going to marry Emma. He wants her to be my mama but I don't like her very much."

"Why don't you like her, Etienne?" Ororo had to know. If that witch had done anything to him there'd have hell to pay.

"Nothing really. She just pretends to like me when Papa's around. It's really annoying."

"Does she say or do anything not nice when he's not around?" Ororo asked. Emma's health hung in a balance based on the heaviness of what the boy was about to say.

"No, not really. She mostly ignores me. And sometimes she acts like those dumb girls at school. You know…like…always," Etienne made a face and rolled his eyes mimicking the mannerisms of a spoiled girl, "like that."

Ororo laughed a bit at his antics, "Well, that's not nice."

"Nope. And that's why I want you to be my mama. You're nice. And you always smile. Jake says you're the best too. And even if you and Papa aren't going to get married I still want you to be my mama."

"Oh, Etienne," Ororo sighed. "You're such a sweet little boy. I don't know if it's that easy." His crestfallen face broke her heart so she hurried to explain. "I'd love to be your mother but it isn't that easy. Your father and I haven't been good friends lately and that may be a problem."

"It's not fair. I didn't do anything wrong." His eyes became watery.

"I know you didn't but how about this? I promise to love you just like you're my son. And you can call and talk to me anytime you want. And we'll see each other every time we get a chance…with your father's permission of course," Ororo quickly added. "And how you and I feel about each other will never change even when your he and I aren't being very nice to each other."

"It's not the same," emotions flooded his words as he held back his tears.

Ororo pulled him even closer. "Yes it is, sweetheart. "Mother" is just a word. When your father marries Emma, people are going to call her your mother but does that make you love her?" she asked then continued once he shook his head. "And not calling me mother doesn't make me love you more or less. I already love you very much."

"I love you too."

Ororo pulled him into a tight hug. It was true. She did love. She didn't know when it happened. She loved him for who his was as well as for being his father's child.

She'd always heard that time healed all wounds. Even though his conception hurt her more than anything she'd ever felt before she couldn't deny that time had dulled the pain and knowing Etienne had made it nonexistent. She'd missed out on so much. "You'll always have me, Etienne."

* * *

Remy tossed the folder Donovan had given him onto the entryway table. He already knew what was in it. He didn't feel the need to read it. There was a bigger matter at hand.

He watched as Emma walked into their room and pulled off her shoes and began to undress. Nothing stirred inside of him. There was a time when Ororo would have to lock the door if she needed to change. If she removed any article of clothing he wanted to be there to witness its disposal. And even through all the anger he'd felt towards her, she still caused those same feelings to rise within him. He still loved her.

That was the primary reason he could not marry Emma. He'd rather go to his grave alone and in love with Ororo than married for life to another woman.

He walked to the bedroom door and watched as Emma slipped into the plush complimentary hotel robe. He assumed she was getting ready for the dinner he'd promised her that morning. The dinner where he was going to propose. "Join me in the shower," she said.

He shook his head. "We need to talk."

"Look, Remy, I'm so sorry about what happened with Etienne today. But you of all people know how he is. If I'd thought for one second he'd left the building…"

"This isn't about Etienne," he said before she could continue with her explanation.

"What then?"

"I'm sorry, Emma, but…I don't think we're going to work out."

She stood with her mouth agape, partially stunned. "This morning you wanted to marry me. Now you don't?"

Remy sighed. _Merde. Me and my rash decisions._ "Non, chérie, I don't want to marry you anymore. I was mistaken."

"Mistaken?" she echoed in disbelief. "We made love last night. You told me just this morning that you wanted to make more definite plans now suddenly you've changed your mind? I've told you how sorry I was about Etienne…"

"This isn't about Etienne." He said again letting his words hang in the air.

"Her…" Emma stated the obvious.

"Oui, Her."

"So she does want you back. I knew it. Don't you see, Remy?" she said as she approached him and placed her right hand on his cheek. "She left you. Now that she sees that you're happy with someone else she wants you back. She'll leave you again."

"Non, non…it's nothing that sinister. I haven't even really had a chance to talk to her with all that went on today," he said as he removed her hand from his face and stepped away. "I love her. I always have. I always will. I can't marry you are anyone else for that matter."

"Remy, what can I do to make you change your mind? I love you."

Remy's heart broke for her. Never would he have guessed those three words were last-ditch efforts to keep claws in him. "I'm sorry, Emma," he said apologetically. "If you'd like to stay for the rest of the week I can book you another room. Here or somewhere else."

"You're really serious, aren't you?" Emma said in genuine disbelief. "What do you think is going to happen? You're going to pour your heart out to her and she's just going to up and leave New York? Her job? Her family? For you?"

"It doesn't matter what she decides to do. I've told you already, this is about _me_ being in love with her. Not the other way around."

"You're a fool."

"Oui."

* * *

Ororo knocked on the suite door. She smiled down at Etienne as they waited for the door to be opened. "I had a wonderful time with you. It's the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Really?" Etienne asked enthusiastically.

Ororo nodded. It was true. She actually loved children and enjoyed being around them when she could. "Absolutely."

Remy opened the door and looked at the smiling faces of the two people that mattered most to him and knew he had done the right thing when it came to Emma. "You're back already." He wished that they had arrived five minutes later. Emma had just finished packing and was about to leave.

"Actually, we're a bit late. You said an hour," Ororo responded. To her eyes Remy seemed a bit distressed. She wondered why and was about to ask him when she heard Emma's voice inside the suite. Ororo couldn't make out what the woman was saying but whatever it was she was obviously pissed about it.

"I'll walk you down to the lobby," Remy offered. Anything to get Ororo away from the person who he at one time thought was a demure reserved woman now turned raving lunatic.

"Wait, Papa! I have to give Ms. O something before she leaves."

"Can't it wait until the next time you see her?"

"It will just take a second, Papa."

Remy looked behind him. Emma had gone back into the bedroom and shut the door. "Hurry," Remy responded. Etienne scooted behind him and into the suite leaving the two adults alone. Remy stepped out into the hallway and pull the door closed without shutting it completely. "He wasn't too much for you, was he?"

"No, he was wonderful. I didn't expect anything less."

Remy nodded in agreement. "Usually he's a really good boy. Usually."

"Like father, like son," Ororo said with a smirk.

They shared a smile. A smile that communicated their history, their love, as well as their reluctance.

"I'll see what's keeping Etienne." He didn't wait for a response. He wanted her to leave incase Emma decided to make a scene. He didn't want her to be the one to disclose their relationship was off or why. He'd do that himself. Hopefully later that night after Devon and Ginny returned to watch Etienne.

Remy was surprised to see Emma standing in Etienne's doorway blocking the boy's exit. He was even more surprised to hear her words. "This is all your fault, you little shit. I told you to wait."

"You don't tell me what to do," Etienne said. "You're not my mama."

"You don't have a mother."

"I do too!" Etienne began to yell. "Ms. O! I do too!" Etienne began to yell louder as tears began to stream down his face.

Emma gasped. A chill ran through her body. Her blouse gathered up around her neck as she was being snatched backwards. She would have fallen had it not been for Remy's firm hold.

"Don' ya ev' talk ta my boy like dat," Remy said through clenched teeth as he turned the now mortified woman towards him. When he heard her words something in his mind clicked. Lonely days of missing his mother overcame him. The hateful comments of Emma Frost taunting him, laughing at his pain flooded his mind. He'd felt so defenseless. He wasn't anymore he was a man and no one was going to make him feel like that again. And they damn sure wouldn't make his son feel that way.

Emma's eyes stretched wide, her mouth gaped open in shock. "Remy…" She knew she was in trouble. The crease of his face distorted into some unfamiliar. Someone capable of anything. Ororo was right. Maybe she should run.

She was no longer the woman he'd contemplated marrying just that morning. She was now scum. Someone that he'd sworn to himself he'd protect his son from. "Don' ya ev' look at 'em…speak 'is name. Ah'll drop ya in the deepest Louis'ana swamp Ah can fine."

"Remy, please, Remy! Let her go," Ororo said. She'd come into the suite when she'd heard Etienne screaming. She'd gone over to the boy to comfort him until she realized that she'd actually need to save Remy from what he was capable of doing to that woman. Fortunately it was only a threat but one he'd be more than willing to back up.

Ororo pried at his fingers but realized that her efforts were fruitless. Emma had his undivided attention and she needed to pull it away but yelling wasn't going to accomplish anything. "Remy…" she said softly. She gently cupped her hand to his face and turned it towards her. "Please don't. Let her go."

Remy's fingers loosened enough for Emma to escape. "You're crazy," she said as she moved away. She stumbled past the coffee table and to her luggage. "Nothing more than a backwoods hillbilly that lucked into some money."

"Leave!" Ororo said. Her hands pressed against Remy's chest to keep him in place. "You've said and done enough."

"My pleasure," Emma said as she began to tug at her luggage. There were too many for her to take on her own. She grabbed her carry bag and ran to the door when Remy sidestepped Ororo's hold and walked towards her.

"He'a, chérie, lemme gi'ya a hand," he said as he began collecting her bags. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, afraid to let him anywhere near her. She gasped when he began throwing her cases through the doorway. He made multiple trips to finish the job.

She ran to the elevator and pressed the "down" button. She stepped inside as she watched the cases tumble over the plush carpet. Just as the doors began to close the shoes she'd just purchased that day began to litter the floor. "You're insane!" she yelled as the doors began to shut.

Remy walked back into the suite, slamming the door closed. "Putain!" he yelled to the shut door. A stray heel lay at his foot and he kicked it into the living room near Ororo and Etienne. Through his tunnel vision of anger he saw them. Ororo standing with a sobbing Etienne tucked into her bosom.

"Are you finished?" she asked.

He put his hands on his hips and let out a long breath in an effort to release the last of his frustration and anger. He nodded. "I'm sorry, mon petite…she just…"

"I know but…" she looked down at Etienne. His sobs had died down but the tears still ran steadily.

Remy walked over to them and kneeled so that he'd be eye level with his son. He pulled Etienne to him picking him up when the boy clung to him. "I need to talk to my son."

Ororo nodded in agreement before leaning in and placing a kiss against the back of Etienne's head. She walked to the door and gave the father and son a final glance before making her exit.

"Ms. O…" Etienne said.

"She'll be back. I promise."


	26. Chapter 26

Accidental Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-six

AN: It's finally winding down. About time...it's been a year! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and excusing the fact that sometimes I write "Camille" instead of "Ginny." Aargh...with that said...No Beta.

* * *

The room was dark. The only light entering the space came from the television in the living area, through the partially opened door where Devin and Ginny had settled on the couch. Remy and Etienne lay in the queen-sized bed. Even though there was plenty of space Remy cradled the boy to him.

The child had been asleep for an hour, perhaps more. Remy had used the time holding his son to think. There was a time that he didn't think he'd love anyone more than he did Ororo but then came Etienne.

If anything Emma had said in her rage was true, and Remy knew it was, it was the fact that he had indeed "lucked up" in his life. Through all of the drama, trauma, and loss he'd endured he still somehow ended up in a position that most would kill for.

He knew he had no room to complain. Life isn't fair and it was so much worse for others. Nowhere was it written that he was supposed to have it all. But he did want it all. To be complete. He wouldn't be without Ororo.

When Ororo left she took a large chunk of who his was with her. Maybe that was why it took him so long to accept Etienne. But when he did his son helped to heal the amputated wound. However the piece was still missing. He had to get it back.

* * *

The power was still out in the Financial District. "Still" isn't quite accurate. It had come back on for exactly ten minutes. Long enough for Ororo to close windows she'd just opened, pump up the air conditioner, pour a glass of red wine, and let out a much-needed sigh of tension. Then out again. The only relief from the heat was the fact the sun had gone down.

Ororo was hoping to unwind but the heat made it too difficult. A long shower would have done her good, but a quick cold one would have to do. After lighting a few candles and nibbling at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich she lay in her bed and listened to the quiet. Occasionally she'd hear someone below her window in the alleyway. Other than that she was alone with her thoughts.

Of course Remy and Etienne lay heavy on her mind. Her lunch with Etienne had touched her deeply. She would love to have been able to say yes to his request. But she and Remy's relationship was fragile. She didn't know if it would've survived had Etienne not pulled a Houdini and she'd actually voiced her concerns about Emma. The last couple of encounters with Remy hadn't been very cordial. And she could only assume her questioning his choice to propose to that woman wouldn't have been welcomed.

Although now it looked like the wedding as well as the relationship was off. She was curious to know what happened between the couple in the short amount of time she and Etienne had been gone. Perhaps there was something in the police report that caused him to end it. No matter, she was just glad the witch was gone. Emma wouldn't be sinking her claws into either of the LeBeau men.

Ororo got out of her bed grabbing one of two lit votive candles as she went. Maybe another glass of wine would help her to sleep through the heat. It was still relatively early, 8:45, but she wanted tomorrow to come swiftly. Then she'd be able to see Etienne and possibly find out what happened between Remy and Emma…if he was willing to tell her.

She poured the glass and decided she wasn't going to work tomorrow. As she sipped on the liquid she left a message on Piotr's office voicemail. He wouldn't mind. He'd actually encouraged her to take a break every now and then.

Instead of just having a glass she picked up the bottle, she'd take it back to her bedroom and finish it off. Why the hell not? Might as well take advantage of being able to sleep late. She left the votive on the counter. The light from the other on her nightstand would safely guide her back to her bedroom. As she made her way past the front door, glass and bottle in tow, there was a soft knock.

She stopped and waited. She wasn't expecting anyone and the power was out. A possible dangerous combination. Another knock. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Ro, it's Remy."

_Think up the devil. _It was her turn to be surprised by his visit. She used the hand holding the bottle to turn the deadbolt and opened the door. "Remy, is something wrong? Where's Etienne?"

Remy stood in the dimly lit hallway. The only light came from red exit signs at each end of the corridor. He'd left the sleeping Etienne in the care of Ginny and Devin after he'd showered and changed into a comfortable cool cotton tee and jeans. He probably could have waited until the next day to speak with her but enough time had been wasted. "Non, nothing is wrong, chérie. Can I come in?"

"Sure," she said as she stepped to the side. After he entered she closed the door and locked the bolts again before turning to look at him expectantly. They'd had an eventful day. If nothing was wrong then perhaps he just needed someone to talk to. She was glad that he'd chosen her. She missed talking to him…about everything…and even about nothing.

"Is this a private party? Or is anyone invited?" he asked looking at the glass and the bottle of wine in her hand. Suddenly fear crept into his mind briefly. Was she not alone? Candles lit and a bottle of wine. Could there be a man there? Then he relaxed upon hearing her next words.

"Not just anyone but you're welcomed to some if you like."

"Oui…that would be nice."

She smiled tentatively and gave him her glass. "I'll pour another."

Remy sipped from the glass as he watched her find and fill another. She was dressed in barely anything, which made sense considering the heat. A simple white tank top and a colorful pair of what looked to be boxers. The pattern printed on them was feminine…purple and pink flowers and there was no slit on the front from what he could tell. It was safe to assume they were hers and not a past lover's.

This time when she approached him she held her glass as well as the votive candle. "Please sit," she said gesturing towards the couch as she did herself and placed the candle on a stack of magazines she'd yet to clear from the trunk.

He did as she instructed and turned to face her after taking a drink from his glass. "Etienne wanted to give you this," he said as he fished his wallet from his back pocket and went into it. He handed her a 2.5x3.5 inch photo, on it was a grinning Etienne. "He said he wanted you to have this until the next time you could visit."

"Aw," Ororo cooed. "How sweet of him." She looked at Remy. "You have done a wonderful job being a father to him. No one could ask for a sweeter child."

"I do my best but I have to say, Etienne is his own creation."

She shook her head; "No…he's a LeBeau man if I've ever saw one."

Remy laughed softly. "Oui, through and through." An awkward silence fell between them as they sipped from their glasses.

"I'm sorry about you and Emma," Ororo finally said.

"I'm not."

"Me either truthfully. She said some really awful things in Jean's kitchen. I'm not really surprised by her actions today. I can't believe a grown woman can behave so irresponsibly."

"She shopped for shoes for at least a half hour before she realized he was gone," he supplied. Ororo looked at him flabbergasted. "…Read it in the police report."

Ororo shook her head in disbelief. Even if a person weren't particularly fond of children they wouldn't leave a child entrusted in their care unattended. That's just common sense. Which Emma obviously didn't have if she thought she was going to get away with speaking to Etienne the way she did in his father's presence. Ororo didn't know whether she should feel sorry for the woman's ignorance or laugh and let her wallow in it.

"Is that why she was leaving?" she asked.

"Non, didn't see it until after…"

"That's good. I don't know if I could have held you back…or if I would have wanted to knowing that bit of information."

Remy smiled. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Ororo hummed an accepted apology and wanted to ask more questions but kept quiet even though curiosity was killing her.

"I want to thank you again…for today," Remy said.

"I didn't do anything," she said as she placed the picture on the trunk.

"You did, chére. Etienne's stunt made me realize how irrational I've been. I was mad at you and I wanted to hurt you. I was going to marry a woman that I didn't love. Hell, chére, I don't even think I liked her very much.

And keeping Etienne away from you…well, that was just malicious. Doing those things was my way of getting back at you," he confessed with a hefty presence of remorse lamenting his words.

Ororo took a sip from her glass before she began to speak. "You have every right to hate me, Remy." She didn't know if it was the wine loosening her lips or the fact that she needed to confess these things to him. "I knew I was hurting you when I was walking out of your door...both times. And I just want you to know that it hurt me to do it. I'm sorry, Remy. So, so sorry. I wish I could take it all back."

Remy placed his glass on the trunk and placed his hand on her knee. "I wish I could say the same. I know what I did was despicable but if I had to do it all again…I would, except for lying to you but…" he squeezed her knee. "I couldn't imagine life with out my son."

"And I wouldn't want you to," Ororo confessed. "You're a wonderful father, Remy. I knew you would be," she whispered with a sad smile.

That sad, sad smile. Remy recognized it. He knew why she wore it. She was remembering all the plans they'd made. All the children they were supposed to have. All the names they'd chosen, silly and serious. "I didn't want to hurt you," he said.

"I know. I knew it back then too. But it doesn't change the fact that you did. And in some spiteful way I wanted to get back at you. I know that now."

"Why do we keep hurting each other?" he asked.

Ororo inhaled a shaky breath. "I don't know. I do want it to stop. I don't think my heart can take it anymore."

"That's why I'm here now, Ro." She watched his hands as he took her glass from her and placed it on the surface next to his. Then she felt his hands on either side of her face and she relished the feel of them as she looked into the depths of his ebony eyes. She didn't close hers until he touched his lips to hers.

The kiss was sweet and tender. It lingered just long enough for Ororo to want more but she resisted the urge to follow when he pulled back. "I'm sorry too. I need your forgiveness, chére." Her eyes briefly fluttered shut again when he let his hand slide down the length of her arm. She hoped he didn't see her reaction to his touch in the dimness of the room.

But he did. He should have resisted the urge to kiss her. However, her heartfelt words lured him in. He hadn't gone over to seduce her. The last thing he wanted to do was to sleep with her. Well, that's not entirely true; he'd always want her. But the first thing he wanted was to resolve their issues, for Etienne's sake and his own peace of mind. Then he'd ask her if she would risk giving their relationship another chance. He was getting ahead of himself.

But damn it, the light of the candle cast a soft amber glow over her slight sweat glistened skin made him want to taste her salty flavor. And when her stormy blue eyes fluttered shut he took the moment to peruse the rest of her. Lips barely parted, flesh barely covered, need barely hidden…he kissed her again.

Restraint, be damned. He kissed her like it would be his last time. For all he knew it would be. Remy was pleased when she threaded her fingers through his hair and leaned back pulling him to her. They sighed into each other's mouths as they nipped and bit at each other.

"Remy," she breathed when he left her lips to attack her neck, "what are we doing?"

"I don't know but I don't want to stop."

She gripped the threads of his hair stopping his descent from going any further down her body. His eyes were clouded with lust and for a split second Ororo wondered if anything she had to say would penetrate. "What are we doing?" she asked again.

Ororo's concerned expression sobered him. He didn't pull away though. Only inches separated them. "You don't know?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly, "Tell me. Tell me what we're doing. Is this just for tonight, Remy?"

"Not for me. This is for the rest of my life, Ro. I love you. I want to make love with you tonight and every night until my soul leaves my body.

"You said you wanted to be friends," he recalled her words, "but I can't do that. No matter where you go or who it is you're with I'll be waiting for you to come back to me. I don't want anyone else. Just you, mon amour."

Ororo swallowed. His wine tinged breath tickled her nose and his words made her dizzy. Remy had professed his love to her before, many, many times. He's even yelled it from the observation deck of the Empire State building for all of New York to hear but this time was different. There was a passion and a pleading determined look in his eyes that she hadn't seen since they were teenagers. She knew at that moment that she had to get over the past. It was done and over with. Now was the time to go after what she wanted. He was all she ever wanted.

She closed the distance between them and tasted his lips. "Make love to me tonight and tomorrow night and every night after that. I love you too, Remy."

Ororo was swept up before she could realize what was happening. Remy cradled her in his arm as he carried her to her bedroom. His long legs made easy work of the short distance to her bed. After depositing her on the bed he stood pulling his t-shirt over his head. His deft fingers unfastened his belt and quickly disposed of his pants.

As soon as he was free of every stitch of clothing he wore he climbed onto the bed kneeling between Ororo's legs. He caressed the length of her thighs and enjoying their firm smoothness. As he leaned into her in an effort to taste her lips once again, one hand slipped to the underneath of her thigh and the other found its way under the hem of her top. His mouth captured her murmur of pleasure when his thumb grazed the peak of her breast.

He loved hearing her throaty moans...when her usual controlled words and sentence gave way to ragged breathing and clipped words of adoration. Her sighs of passion was always his undoing. Now was no different. He had to get closer to her. Sitting on his hunches he pulled her up with him, breaking their kiss only long enough to pull her top over her head. At that moment he wished the candle on her nightstand burned brighter. He wanted to see the amber flame dance across her brown skin.

Remy was lost in that thought when he lost control of the situation. He relinquished his it gladly. Ororo's hand fell away from his shoulder and found its way to his fully hardened cock. Firm strokes tore a gasp from his lips.

Ororo smiled when he moaned her name. "Ororo…mon Dieu, s'il vous plait, ma grande amour."She knew exactly what he'd said. She'd heard it many times, _please _and _true love._

Remy's clenched his jaws tight and his head fell back. Her hands brought him tortuous pleasure that he didn't know how much more he'd be able to take. "Now, chére, now," he said as he pulled her hands away from his body. She still had on her bottoms. He needed them off.

She leaned backed as his hands worked at a frenzied pace. Raising her hips and lifting her legs helping him along with his chore. It wasn't until he'd settled between her legs once again that she reached over into her bedside drawer. "Remy, I have condoms," she said as she tore one from the ream.

Remy's eager fingers tore open the package and his practiced fingers began to roll the condom over his erection when the bedside lamp blinked on then off again before finally illuminating the small bedroom. "Ah, chére, now I can see you." And he did. He could see a nervous shyness that he hadn't seen in years. She seemed to be suddenly embarrassed by the light, drawing her hands up to cover her breast.

"What's wrong, ma belle?"

Ororo was a bit nervous. This evening, his words all reminded her of the first night they'd made love. On that night they thought they knew how their life would be. Ororo and Remy forever. Nothing could tear them apart. Then it did and that fact scared Ororo to death. She had trusted him that night and she would again tonight. No more feeling sorry for her self. She hadn't lived in over ten years. Now was her chance to live again. She shook her head. "Nothing. I just…love you so much," she smiled brilliantly and uncovered herself.

His desire flamed. He looked at her then at the discarded condom wrapper lying on the floor. "You're my wife and we've lost so much time." He took the condom off and threw it on the floor. "We have some babies to make…five to be exact."

Ororo was taken by surprise but for only a moment. "Four. We already have one."

* * *

Etienne hadn't slept so peacefully in a long time. All was going right in his world. He had his father back. And he had Ms. O.

He could still feel his Papa's arm wrapped around him. Etienne pulled the arm tighter around him. But it felt different…smaller…smoother. He opened his eyes and realized there were two arms there. One belonged to his Papa's, one was not.

He turned over. "Ms. O," he said as he placed his hand on her cheek.

Ororo opened her eyes and was greeted by the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen. "Good morning, sleepyhead. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"You have?"

"Mmhmm, I want to tell you something."

"Okay," Etienne said. His eyes darted past her briefly to look at his father who was now propped up watching him over Ororo's shoulder.

"Your papa says it's okay for me to be your mother."

"Really?" he asked her. "Really, Papa?" he asked Remy. He didn't wait for them to answer. He hopped out of bed and began to jump up and down.

"Do you think he's happy?" Remy asked.

"Definitely."

"Etienne," Remy said. "There's more."

"More?" Etienne said as he hopped back onto the bed.

"I'm moving back to New Orleans…in with you and your father if that's okay with you." Ororo said timidly. She really was nervous to hear what Etienne thought about the idea. It had been just him and his father for so long. Being in his life from a distance was one thing but being a part of his daily routine was quite another.

Etienne's giddiness calmed and he looked at Ororo intently. "Does this mean you and Papa are finished being mad at each other?"

"Yes, sweetheart. You should know that I love your Papa and you very much."

"And you're not going to leave?" For a question so simple its weight was crushing.

"Never."

"Promise?" he asked.

"Promise," Ororo said.

Etienne smiled. "I can't wait for you to move in, Mama!" he squealed. Calling her "Mama" rolled off his tongue easily and it sounded like the most natural thing Ororo had ever heard. He jumped off the bed and ran towards the door. The two adults could only assume he was running to tell Ginny the good news. "You can sleep in my room!" he said as he darted out of the door.

Ororo turned onto her back and looked up at Remy, "That went well."

"Oui, chére, all except the sleeping in his room part."

Ororo laughed. "Je t'aime, mon amour."

Remy bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Moi aussi, Je t'aime."

* * *

End Note: Epilogue is almost complete!

Translations: "mon Dieu, s'il vous plait, ma grande amour"; My God, please, my true love.

"Je t'aime, mon amour"; I love you, my love.

"Moi aussi, Je t'aime."; I love you too.


	27. Epilogue

Accidental Beginnings

Epilogue

Here we are...the last entry for these two.

* * *

It was almost five o'clock in the morning. It had been a restless night…one of many but Ororo wouldn't have traded them for anything. The small warm body nuzzled against the breast it had just fed from yawned. Ororo looked into sleepy eyes before they closed, hopefully for a couple of more hours. She continued slowly rocking, mother and daughter both too comfortable to move.

Amira Lola LeBeau was born ten months ago. Remy had chosen the name Amira once he became aware of N'Dare's status of princess of her small tribe in Kenya. He was pleased when Ororo told him his mother, Lola LeBeau, should also be honored in the naming of their daughter.

Much fairer in complexion in comparison to her mother but those startling blue was an exact duplicate. Her hair was all her own. Ororo didn't know how to describe it but N'Dare took it upon herself to search the shelves of the local drugstore until she found it's perfect match…chestnut blonde by Dark & Lovely. She had her father's pouty lips as well as his temper. She didn't like to be kept waiting but the wait was always short. Her father and brother were usually at her side before the full wrath of her cry peaked.

She was the apple of her brother's eye and the ruler of her father's heart. But for Ororo she was the living manifestation of all the love that she and Remy shared. She didn't think it was possible to love Remy more than she had ten years before. But somehow the loss of him in her life caused her love to increase ten fold. The only comparison that came close was the love of her children.

Ororo looked over at the other sleeping form in the room. Etienne was curled up in the daybed of the nursery. He'd been wakened by his little sister too and was determined to stay awake to keep his mother company. He succumbed to sleep shortly after making the proclamation.

"Chère," Remy said softly from the doorway, "why didn't you wake me?" sleep filled his voice, dark eyes barely open. His hair was mussed but he still looked incredibly sexy shirtless and in the dim amber light of the lamp softly illuminating the nursery.

"Because you were up late. You need to sleep."

"Non, I told you I want to help. I don't want what I'm doing to interfere with me being a father to our children," he said as he walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips then another gently against the sandy brown hair atop his daughter's head. "I have a late class today. I would love to keep you company," he said as he stood, his fingers grazing the taunt side of her hardened belly. He didn't want his other little miracle to feel left out. He caught sight of Etienne's sleeping form.

Ororo decided not to argue when she saw him climb into the small bed with their son. An argument would have prolonged the inevitable. And he really did need his rest. He worked hard balancing his roles as father, student, and husband. He did an amazing job in every aspect.

_So much for company_. Remy had fallen asleep in less time than it had taken Etienne. She was glad. He'd have time to spend with them in a few weeks when his semester was over.

Ororo watched the two men in her life as she rubbed the back of her daughter's small head. A year and a half ago this scenario seemed like an unattainable aspiration. But a lot had happened since the blackout that night in New York City.

She'd called her boss saying that she wouldn't be in to work the next day. The phone call stating that she wouldn't be coming to work surprised Piotr but the follow up phone call she made the next day was an utter shock. Ororo wouldn't be coming back at all. She was moving back to New Orleans, getting married and hoped to see him and Kitty at the wedding. If they couldn't make it, she would understand. After his surprise wore off, he laughed and told her to be happy.

Unfortunately, Remy and Etienne did have to leave New York heading back to New Orleans. Ginny and Etienne both would start school only a few days later, Ginny, a senior in high school and Etienne, the fifth grade. Ororo joined them a few weeks later. She didn't have much to pack. Most of what she really cared about was already packed away in Remy's old trunk. The other things, furniture, food, books, she donated to the community center where she volunteered.

Her only commitment was Hank and Trish's wedding a few weeks later. Devin attended with her. He knew Hank and of course his presence helped her to not feel so awkward and out of place among Hank's family and friends that knew of their relationship.

She had to admit, Hank was a different man than the one she knew. His smile was easy and his laugh hardy. Ororo could see the love he had for Trish radiating from him. And Trish was beautiful. Her pregnancy wasn't visible yet, however the pretty doctor had a glow about her that was unmistakable. Ororo was honored they allowed her witness their special day.

It would be too easy to say that everything went smoothly. It was hectic, stressful and overwhelming all at the same time. But when everything settled it was all worth it. Times like these, fore day, holding her daughter and listening to the soft breathing of her boys made it all minor nuisances.

Remy had enrolled into Tulane University's School of Architecture. Ororo encouraged him to follow his dreams once he'd admitted to her his regret about not finishing college. And he, in turn, encouraged her to continue her volunteer work. Actually he encouraged her to take it a step further. She took over the helm of his philanthropy endeavors. Unlike him, she was more hands-on…like his late mother.

And during it all a wedding was planned and executed. It was simple but this time it was done right. This time there were no courtrooms or dresses purchased off a department store rack.

The wedding took place at daybreak. Ororo and Remy only bothered to invite close friends and family…only a total of thirty, possibly less. They would understand the dawn wedding without explanation and would gladly celebrate new beginnings with the couple.

David was the only person to grumble about the early time but quickly smothered his annoyances when he learned his wife had given Ororo the idea. Remy and Ororo eagerly agreed. The idea of letting the sun set on the past, and with it the heartbreak and the misery was appealing to the couple starting anew. Day would break welcoming a new beginning to their relationship and their lives together.

David and N'Dare even walked Ororo down the aisle and handed her over to Remy. N'Dare with a smile and David with a warning glare. He still wasn't too pleased with the man his daughter had chosen. However, Remy finally understood him.

On the day his little girl was born, so tiny and fragile, Remy watched through the large picture window of the nursery as the nurse gave her a vitamin K shot. Her shrill cries broke his heart. He placed his hand on the glass wishing he could rush in and save her from the pain and tell her she'd never hurt again.

David sidled up next to him to look at his first grandchild. "This is nothing. Just wait until some knucklehead knocks on your door and she runs out after him," he said. It all finally clicked.

Remy loved Etienne but this was different. He'd teach Etienne how to be a man and be responsible. Teach him that life has its disappointments but it was up to him to persevere and to keep moving forward. He wanted to teach his daughter those same important lessons but at the same time he wanted to be her protector and hero. That was his job. Even though she was just born the thought of someone else trying to take his duties from him filled him with fear and anxiety.

That was the moment he realized that David didn't hate him. The man's only fault was the love he held for his daughter. That was Remy's only fault too. Remy smiled. He was lucky David hadn't pummeled him into a nice raw pulp.

In the ten months since Amira was born pace of life hadn't slowed down in the least. If anything it had sped up. Most of it planned, some, not so much. The flutters in her womb were a testament to that but the couple welcomed the addition, which was due to arrive in another five months. Etienne was hoping for a brother.

Even though their family seemed to be growing at a rapid pace they moved to a smaller home. Remy cherished the home his mother and father built and lived in together but he thought it too large and formal for the lifestyle he wanted to lead with his wife and children. He insisted on using the mansion for Ororo's social work. Mother's and their children in need of a home filled the considerable space. Ororo hired social workers and counselors to aid in fulfilling her dream of helping others. Remy knew his mother would be proud of their efforts.

They moved into a house one street over from Logan. Etienne was now in a neighborhood filled with children, his best friend Jake, and closer to Rose. Friends and family constantly surrounded them; gatherings were no longer saturated with tension over the past but with laughter and plans for the future.

Ororo was happy to be near her and Remy's Godchildren, closer to her parents and friends. And even her favorite cousin Devin had managed to find his way within an hour and a half of her. After Ginny graduated high school and he'd completed a year at NYU he transferred to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where Ginny had enrolled.

She would need them more now than she'd ever needed them before. Etienne was older and a big help with his baby sister. However, the constant flutters of the newest LeBeau member indicated he or she would most likely be a handful. And according to Remy, there would be more to come.

Jean was so jealous when she learned of Ororo's second pregnancy. She was ready for another as soon as little Rachel reached her first birthday. However, Scott insisted there be a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years separating their offspring. Not only would they be able to focus on prime developmental stages but they would also be able to financially prepare for new additions. When Jean pointed out that Ororo and Remy didn't wait, Scott response was, "If I had as much money as Remy, we'd have babies just to see what they'd looked like, sweetheart." That was enough for Jean. Just knowing that he would be willing to have all the babies she would want was enough for her…for now.

Ororo didn't know how many more children they would have or even if they would have any more. Whatever was given to her she would be happy with. She kissed Amira on the top of her head and stood. She gingerly placed the sleeping enfant in her crib. Amira fretted slightly then settled into a sound sleep. If Ororo were lucky she would sleep for another three or hours.

She turned and looked at her husband. It was ashamed to have to wake him up but the last time she left him sleeping in the nursery he complained of missing her when he woke. She didn't want to put him through such torture again. "Remy…" she whispered as she nudged him softly.

He wasn't a hard sleeper. He woke almost immediately. "Mon amour," he said as he rose to his hands and knees bending slightly to give Etienne a parting kiss on his temple, "you didn't forget me this time," he finished as he stood fully and took her in his arms.

"You're never going to forgive me, are you?"

"Eventually," he said as he turned her towards the door, his chest against her back so he could splay his long slender fingers over her growing belly. "Maybe after this one…or the next."

"The next?" she asked as she led him to the door.

"Oui, Madame LeBeau", he said then kissed her neck. "I like making babies with you."

"You much remember, Monsieur, these babies will be with us for a long time."

"I know," Remy said as he briefly halted there retreat and flicked the switch to turn off the lamp.

Ororo finally turned to face him and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Not to sound selfish but eventually I'll want you to myself."

"Ma belle, you will always have me," he said then kissed her softly on the lips. "You always have."

Not the end but an Accidental Beginning

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End Note: I hoped I wrapped it up to your liking! This story as well as "Designated Things" will be rewritten. Especially this one! I re-read it and wow! The typos are embarrassing and there are a couple of inconsistencies in the story! Yeah...really need to get a beta.

Oh...and the profile picture on my bio is an idea of how I think the newest member would most likely look.

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Work in progress (and in my head):

Excerpt:

_"Don't Be Hasty," (Remy/Ro) _

"What did you expect? You should have told her."

"I don't know. I thought…" Remy's throat tightened around his words. "I thought that it wouldn't matter."

"You knew it would matter, dumb shit. That's why you didn't tell her."

Remy sighed. He knew that Logan was right. He told her a deliberate lie then expected her to forgive him. But she didn't and now he'd lost her, probably forever.

Remy's bloodshot watery eyes looked up at Logan, "But I love her, homme. I love her."

Plot Bunny:

Epic! Take place during the 60's. Remy is enthralled with his father's housekeeper's daughter, Ororo, and she with him. The couple go to extremes to be together only to be torn apart by secrets, lies, and society.


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